DigiWise will focus on four priorities: setting safety guidelines, preventing cyber bullying while promoting kindness online, encouraging responsible screen time and ensuring students are safe online.
The initiative aligns with the district's new cellphone restrictions during the school day — a policy designed to reduce distractions and promote healthier tech habits. The task force will unite UISD leaders, law enforcement, community groups and local nonprofits to deliver classroom presentations and expand parent outreach.
As part of the launch, Webb County Judge Tano Tijerina read and signed a proclamation naming August Digital Wellness and Safety Online Habits Month in Webb County.
The proclamation says that in an increasingly digital world, students need the tools and knowledge to use technology safely and responsibly. It calls DigiWise a forward-thinking effort to prepare them to succeed as scholars and responsible digital citizens.
UISD Board of Trustees member Michelle Molina said the district's broad access to technology comes with a duty to educate not only students but also parents.
"As important as it may be, as much as it can save a life, as much as we need that technology to get us somewhere and help us with certain items, it can also be very dangerous," she said.
Molina compared DigiWise to the vaping task force UISD formed last year — both address fast-evolving risks. She added that every campus now has private spaces where students can access mental health services.
"We have an increase in bullying, and now cyber bullying is a big part of it," she said. "We have different chat rooms. We have different places where predators can reach our children, and that's a rising concern."
Tijerina said the effort should go further — challenging all adults to examine the example they set for young people.
"Before we send this to our kids, we also need to reflect on ourselves," he said. "This is a beautiful opportunity to not only showcase but reflect — and not only reflect but be that example of what we're supposed to be doing."
He said he learned more about the DigiWise initiative on his way to the press conference — and that his role on the Texas Commission on Judicial Conduct has made him wary of how public officials engage online, especially with those who "say ugly things."
"I've kind of backed off a little because of that reason," Tijerina said. "Talking about anti-bullying and stuff like that — I think we're the biggest bullies of them all. Let's be that example to our young children and young adults of who we should become and what we are."
Superintendent Dr. Gerardo Cruz said DigiWise is meant to help parents understand the risks of cellphones and social media — and to give them tools to guide their children through online spaces. He added that the guidance is especially important for middle school students, who may struggle to separate fact from misinformation and are vulnerable to online bullying.
"It does take a village," he said. "I know it's a cliché, but all of us together can make sure our youth have not only social and emotional wellness but also digital wellness — and that our parents are well educated on what can happen out there."
© 2025 the Laredo Morning Times (Laredo, Texas). Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
