There has been a tremendous amount of media coverage in the last month about the problem of pornography coming into the school environment via the Internet. A positive outcome of this can be a change in awareness for school administrations and Boards of Trustees resulting in quicker implementation of the key recommendations of the Internet Safety Kit for establishing a safe Internet learning environment.
The downside of so much publicity can be if those managing schools assume that all schools have problems with staff or students accessing pornography and thus they needn't react to such an incident at their school with too much alarm. If any Principals or Trustees have the impression that serious pornography situations are commonplace, then the publicity has been very misleading. Right now such incidents are relatively rare. If a school is unfortunate enough to have such a problem, especially with the more serious illegal child pornography, it needs to be dealt with quickly, efficiently and with the thorough approach such an incident warrants.
The Internet Safety Kit has a protocol for an incident involving pornography being discovered in a school. This protocol is being expanded for the new version of the Kit to be released next year to differentiate between staff and student incidents and legal (but not appropriate in school) and illegal pornography. Trustees can support the Principal to ensure a comprehensive response.
School Trustees can access the Kit protocol here.
If your school has just had a serious incident of misuse, download this off the NetSafe® website and go through it step by step. If you have questions, or need assistance in any way, you can call the Internet Safety Group at (09) 372 5864 or toll free 0508 NETSAFE (638 723). Those numbers reach me in my office and I can take you through the process over the phone.
I strongly recommend that school Trustees and Principals do not wait for an incident of misuse in their schools to look over the protocol. If your school is offering Internet access and does not have any of the recommended safety infrastructure in place, do not wait. Start now. When you are in the midst of dealing with a serious, stressful incident is not the time to be putting proper procedures in place.
Download the Kit if you no longer have the original. Adapt the sample Internet Use Policy, Use Agreements for students and staff, protocol and recommended procedures to your school's particular needs. Educate students and staff as part of creating a culture of Internet safety in your school. Such preparation lays a solid foundation for a positive Internet learning experience for all.
If you then have a serious incident, all systems are in place and the response is relatively straightforward. But perhaps the process of establishing a safe Internet learning environment, and the education that is such a crucial part of the process, will actually help your school avoid an incident as serious as one involving child pornography.
Liz Butterfield is Director of the Internet Safety Group. She can be reached at queries@netsafe.org.nz 0r on the toll free number 0508 NETSAFE (638 723).
