The Department of Education says that more than half the classrooms in the nation are now connected to the Internet. The Internet is a useful tool we can not ignore. Indeed, the Internet is a wonderful vehicle of learning and knowledge for our children. This extraordinary learning tool, though, can also have a dark and threatening side. Pedophiles and other criminals are using the Internet to contact our children in those places we want to believe are most safe - our homes and our schools.
Online predators can pose as children and then arrange a meeting with an unsuspecting young victim.
In fact, Cyber Angels, a computer savvy affiliate to the Guardian Angels, has documented more than 17,000 Internet sites devoted to child pornography and pedophilia. Moreover, the FBI reports that pornography sites are literally the most frequently accessed sites on the Net. The Children's Internet Protection Act would require schools to use filtering technology if they accept federal assistance to connect to the Internet. While the bill requires schools to use blocking technology, it leaves it up to the local school district and library board to determine the type of filtering technology to use. It's important that parents and educators in our local communities set their own standards.