TCAPS Families, Staff and Friends,

The safety, health, and wellbeing of every child is our top priority. With each generation comes new technology and advancements that present great opportunities for society as well as many challenges. Whether it’s TV, video games, the internet, or now social media, as parents, educators, and community members, we have a responsibility to help our children stay safe and smart when they are online.

The rise of social media has given us the power to connect in new ways across county lines and continents. It also has the ability to impact how we interact with each other. Research shows that teens and adolescents go through changes that can and do impact their decision making abilities. They are more willing to take risks, try new relationships, experience inconsistent emotions, and make decisions that could put them in harm's way. When this stage of development is coupled with social media, it can sometimes lead students to make bad decisions online.

As the positive adults in the lives of our teens, we need to remind our children that actions in the cyber world can also have real world consequences. Students who post disturbing, threatening, or inappropriate content on social media may be suspended, expelled, and may face legal action. It is vitally important that anyone, parent or student, who sees inappropriate or threatening content on social media report it to a school official or to law enforcement.

Whether your child has just begun their educational journey or is on a pathway to graduation, the following are a few resources that you may find helpful:

• John's Hopkins University has put together an interactive guide called The Teen Years Explained that offers information about physical, cognitive, and social and emotional development.
• The web site Common Sense Media is another great resource for families to vet various genres of books, movies, video games, apps, etc.  
• The Screenagers parent site will e-mail families Tech Talk Tuesday tips from the Screenagers web page. The site also shares ‘conversation starters’ for parents and teens to talk about social media issues, research, and more.
• In addition, Traverse City West Middle School will be hosting an OK2SAY assembly on October 30th and Traverse City East Middle School will run its “Teens and Technology Series” again this year.

It is critical to know what your child or young adult is viewing online and who they are chatting with. By working together, we can create safe, healthy habits for our students when using technology.

Sincerely,

Paul A. Soma
Superintendent, Traverse City Area Public Schools