The letter asks that the departments of Law and Public Safety and Education work together to strengthen existing Internet safety training efforts for teachers and administrators in New Jersey schools. School officials would then use this knowledge to ensure that students, parents, and community groups are well informed about Internet safety and the potential perils they might encounter online. Corzine asked that the program be established and implemented by the beginning of the 2007-08 school year.
The letter is below:
Dear General Milgram and Commissioner Davy:
I know you share my concern for keeping our children safe. With all of the benefits that evolving technologies provide us, too many unfortunate opportunities exist for adults to exploit children through the use of the Internet or for children to otherwise experience dangerous situations as a result of the doors that technology has opened.
Recent studies show alarming statistics about the potential dangers of online communities. For example, 71 percent of teens reported receiving messages online from someone they don't know and 14 percent of 13-17 year olds have actually met face-to-face with a person they had only known online [National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, 2006].
We as a state have an important role to play in giving parents, educators, and caregivers the information and tools that empower them to teach children the safe and healthy use of technology and the Internet. I recognize the existing work of both of your departments in this area to date, including trainings for local and county law enforcement officers. I now call upon you to broaden these efforts by working together to conduct Internet safety training for teachers and administrators of all the schools in New Jersey to ensure that all of our children are safe. These teachers and school administrators will in turn train students, parents, other teachers and community groups thereby casting a wide net of individuals who will help to protect our children.
With the resources at the Department of Law and Public Safety, and particularly the State Police, working together with the experts at the Department of Education, I know we can train educators and others to equip our children with the tools they need to be safe consumers of technology. I ask that you establish a training program and begin implementing it by the commencement of the fall 2007 school term.
Thank you for your hard work on this important issue.
Sincerely,
Jon S. Corzine
Governor
