Legislators recently approved, and Gov. Bruce Rauner signed into law, Public Act 99-0460 amending the Right to Privacy in the School Setting Act, and immediately prohibiting school districts from requesting or requiring students to disclose social media passwords as part of a disciplinary investigation.

To be clear, the law still requires a student to cooperate in an investigation concerning activity on the student's social media account that violates a school rule or policy. While school districts may no longer demand access to student social media passwords, they are not prohibited from using student social media activity as part of a disciplinary investigation, and they can still require students to share the content of their social media pages. They simply can no longer require students to disclose their social media passwords.

Here in District 15, our aim is to prevent situations like these from occurring. Our goal is to empower our students and parents to be good online citizens who make positive online decisions and enjoy healthy and safe interactions on the Internet. That is why we want to once again stress that serious responsibilities accompany students' activities within online social networks and their use of electronic communications. As adults, it is our job to guide them as they develop important technological skills and learn proper and safe online behaviors.

We believe part of this effort entails monitoring their online activity. District 15 encourages parents to keep track of their child's use of all web-based devices, social network accounts and passwords, and personal information shared online. We encourage parents to do so as a means of ensuring their child's health and safety, and preventing their child from making poor online decisions that may affect them at school and in the community. That is why -- in addition to providing this legal notification -- we are sharing the following list of online resources that we hope will help our families have discussions about positive online behavior and the appropriate monitoring of children's online activities.

• stopbullying.gov
• childluresprevention.com
• kidshealth.org/parent/positive/talk/cyberbullying.html

Additionally, we want to remind you that District 15's new Online Bullying & Safety Reporting Center provides you and your child with an option to communicate your safety concerns with your school. These reports can be submitted anonymously. Should you or your child file an online safety report, please include as much detailed information as possible because doing so will greatly assist the administration in investigating and addressing the concern(s).

Please take a moment to review this important information with your child, and please do not hesitate to contact your school's principal if you have any questions or concerns about this matter.

There are several ways readers can translate District 15's website into their language of choice. Two such ways include:

1. The District 15 website, www.ccsd15.net, has a translation tool built in. By simply clicking the globe icon (see image below) in the tool bar at the top of the webpage, a reader can select their language of choice.
2. A reader can also use Chrome's built-in translation tool to read more of the web, regardless of the language of the website.

Detailed instructions for using these translation tools are available at www.ccsd15.net | Our Services | Communications Department | How to Translate This Website.

• To help students understand that depression is a treatable illness.
• To explain that suicide is a preventable tragedy that often occurs as a result of untreated depression.
• To provide students training in how to identify serious depression in themselves or a friend.
• To impress upon youth that they can help themselves or a friend by taking the simple step of talking to a responsible adult about their concerns.
• To help students know whom in the school they can turn to for help if they need it.

This presentation will feature a screening of the short film Time to Act, which all junior high students will view and discuss in early November. Paul Budin, District 15's Social Work Coordinator, and staff members from area mental health agencies will also be available during the presentation to answer questions and discuss their programs and services for adolescents struggling with depression.  

 

Read more about the SOS Parent Education Night.