ROSEVILLE, Calif. — Distance or virtual learning is a new territory for students and their parents.
Most students, especially those in middle or high school, will be learning at home due to the coronavirus pandemic, while parents are either logged on themselves for work or leaving the home for employment.
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Rob Baquera, spokesman for the Roseville Police Department, said it is troubling sexual predators try to connect with children in the community digitally. Roseville police recently arrested Joseph Voseen after he tried to meet with who he thought was a 16-year-old girl he met online. Instead, Voseen met with police officers. Police were chatting with Vossen for nearly a year.
"If you believe that someone is trying to take advantage of your child, if they're trying to meet up or trying to encourage them to sneak out of the house, those are big red flags that you need to report to the police department, " Baquera said.
The Placer County Office of Education said there are safeguards in place to keep kids safe from danger while they learn on the school-issued devices. Schools have to certify that they use computer filtering software and all internet traffic is routed through content filters.
Stand Up Placer, a local organization that provides support for victims of human trafficking, said parents need to pay attention to electronic devices in the home that is not school-issued. Parents should also be diligent about internet passwords and keep online use within the home's common rooms.
"Don't let them have a bunch of connections with people that they've never met," Jenny Davidson, Stand Up Placer Executive Director, said. "If you as a parent wouldn't let them have a sleepover there, then you probably shouldn't be letting them chat in a private chatroom for hours."
FBI released a list of recommendations for parents with students who are distance learning. For more information, click here.
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