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Feature TYLA Affiliate

Houston Attorneys Getting The Word Out To Local Schools About Cyberspace Safety
By:  Courtney Palm, President of the Houston Young Lawyers Association

Ever had your identity stolen? Ever wondered if you should "untag" that picture from your college days? Ever regret a tweet or message you posted? If you answered yes to any of these questions, imagine what it's like for the generation that has grown up with MySpace, Facebook, and YouTube. This year, the Houston Young Lawyers Association (“HYLA”) has joined forces with the Houston Bar Association (“HBA”) to educate schools on cyberspace safety based on the “R U Safe? Protecting Yourself in Cyberspace” program (“R U Safe?”). The R U Safe? Program includes a DVD that is intended to educate students at the elementary, middle school and high school level, and also contains a section for parents. In August and September 2010, the HBA contacted 26 school districts, and other private schools, in the greater Houston area to offer copies of the DVD. In October 2010, the schools that responded received a copy of the DVD with a letter co-signed by the President of the HBA and the President of the HYLA with information on how to contact the HYLA to set up a school visit. To date, 18 school districts and 34 private schools have requested or are providing a link to the R U Safe? DVD.

The HYLA’s R U Safe? Committee, chaired by Anita Barksdale of Fulbright & Jaworski L.L.P., coordinates attorneys who visit the schools to present the video and provide a 30 to 45 minute supplemental curriculum that gives safety tips, addresses how colleges use social media, and gives practical advice for students of all ages on how they can protect themselves. In November 2010, the HYLA’s R U Safe? Committee spoke at two middle schools and one high school. Based on the response of students during those school visits, the HYLA learned just how little students knew about what can happen to them if they sext, have inappropriate social networking profiles, or engage in online bullying. The HYLA’s R U Safe? Committee received such questions as “What do I do if I have already sent an inappropriate picture of myself on my phone.” It is apparent that teens need help understanding the limits that may be placed on their future due to online behavior. “We’re giving them a program that puts the education in their hands so they can make better decisions,” Ms. Barksdale said.

Many schools have contacted the HBA or the HYLA asking for an attorney to visit and talk about the DVD. The HYLA R U Safe? Committee hopes to visit at least three schools in February, March and April and present the parent section of the video to at least one Parent Teacher Association every semester.

The R U Safe? DVD was developed by the Texas Young Lawyers Association through a grant from the Texas Bar Foundation. It is an excellent resource for schools and parents on what they need to know about cyberspace and the legal ramifications of certain online behavior. I would encourage you to watch the R U Safe? DVD, educate your children, and/or inform your area schools. A link to the R U Safe? DVD can be found at www.tyla.org/tyla/index.cfm/projects/r-u-safe/.