CSI/OK2SAY

The Michigan Attorney General’s office will be conducting presentations on student safety featuring the Michigan Cyber Safety Initiative (CSI) and the student safety hotline, OK2SAY. The presentation will be given to Ionia Public Schools students in grades K-9.

The primary theme of the K – 1st-grade presentation is the “3 Keeps.” Students are instructed to (1) Keep Safe by carefully guarding their personal information online; (2) Keep Away from Internet strangers; and (3) Keep Telling parents or a trusted adult about anything that makes them uncomfortable. This presentation features a video from Common Sense Media that discusses important rules for being safe online and a video from Sesame Street that encourages children to seek the help of an adult they trust when faced with challenging situations like bullying.

The topics covered in the K – 1st-grade presentation are addressed more thoroughly in the 2nd – 3rd-grade seminar. The presentation discusses important rules for being safe online and encourages students to seek the help of a trusted adult when faced with challenging situations. Using Brain Pop videos, the presentation discusses the need to have permission to go online and to visit only sites where permission has been granted from a teacher or trusted adult. The second video emphasizes how to recognize and respond to a bully.

The 4th – 5th-grade presentation teaches students to recognize common Internet predator grooming techniques, as well as additional appropriate responses to bullying and cyberbullying. Dynamic videos are provided compliments of SweetyHigh, the Ad Council, the National Crime Prevention Council, ShakeState, and Ahmir. The students are also introduced to the OK2SAY student safety program and encouraged to always talk to a trusted adult before contacting OK2SAY.

6th – 8th-grade students see a video featuring peers who promote OK2SAY. Students learn what the OK2SAY program is, how it works, what types of incidents they can report, how to submit a tip, and what will happen with the tip. Students then get detailed explanations about bullying, cyberbullying, suicide, sexting, sexual abuse, the predator threat, and how to protect themselves online. Students see a video about the power of words, the deceptive ways Internet predators target teens, along with a video featuring students from Michigan that have tragically died by suicide due in part to bullying. Students also see a video showing the negative impacts of sexting, and they’ll watch a video provided by the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children and Keenan West.

The 9th – 12th-grade presentation focuses on OK2SAY and teaches students how it works, what can be reported and how, and what will happen with the tips. Students get in-depth explanations of bullying, cyberbullying, suicide, sexting, threats, dating violence, sexual abuse, and hazing. They watch a video featuring students from Michigan that have tragically died by suicide due in part to bullying and a video showing the negative impacts of sexting. They also view a clip about OK2SAY and a video that emphasizes the importance of empathy, perspective, leadership, and compassion. The presentation ends with Keenan West's music video "It's OK2SAY" which illustrates the positive difference taking action can make.

You are encouraged to preview the videos your child will see at the Attorney General's website (www.mi.gov/csi). More information on OK2SAY, as well as resources, is available on the OK2SAY website (www.ok2say.com).