I am really angry and upset.am I over reacting? **UPDATE POST 30**

[herechickchick]

Just curious what does the company do with your child's info? I know you said they are a planning company but could you elaborate.

 

[Dar]

Quote:
you know what.. I really dont know and when I asked the school she (the secretary) sounded like a commercial... and when I asked the company they said its an online planner.. it tracks his likes and dislikes... goals and dreams.. and "helps him plan his future"

 

[Dar]

Quote:
you dont think some strange person on the other end of the computer who I have no Idea about who has no idea what a criminal background check is, knowing my sons school name..(very easy to look up location)... his name... (directory assistance has an uncanny way of listing addresses) and his likes and dislikes ...


hmmm hey sammy... I hear you like basketball.... I now the right people in the NBA... come with me and I will watch you play a few games and take you to some scouts.... because afterall this guy did meet him in the driveway of his home and called him by name.. it has to be safe right?...

gimmie a break!

 

[Toast n Jelly]

Quote:
you dont think some strange person on the other end of the computer who I have no Idea about who has no idea what a criminal background check is, knowing my sons school name..(very easy to look up location)... his name... (directory assistance has an uncanny way of listing addresses) and his likes and dislikes ...


hmmm hey sammy... I hear you like basketball.... I now the right people in the NBA... come with me and I will watch you play a few games and take you to some scouts.... because afterall this guy did meet him in the driveway of his home and called him by name.. it has to be safe right?...

gimmie a break!

x2

 

[welsummerchicks]

Hardly.

A child molester can get all that information without being an employee in the company you're afraid of.

A child molester can get all that information from the kid's own facebook page, twitters and everything else they now do online. He can even get it from a kid's text messages. All he has to do is get any type of texting phone and start dialing local exchange numbers randomly til he gets a kid.

It's not always the child's internet information either. Many actually get the information from parents and older siblings. Parents often post pictures and reveal too much detail about their location when they chat or post on web sites. I flinch every time I read a parent talking about what sports events they drop their kids off at, or post all those pictures.

Many child molesters just cruise websites, and get plenty of information to find a kid. They don't have to do anything so complicated as get a job in a service company.

If they don't cruise websites, they can just cruise the snack bars and video game places where kids hang out, or stand on the corner opposite the school. Or they can get a job with a church as a youth activities coordinator, or get a job as a baby sitter.

That said, most of the crimes against children are not committed by strangers, but by people the family knows...and trusts.

I think concern is best placed first, where concern is most warranted, not on the more unlikely threat, but the most common threats, which involve easy access, not a complicated scheme.

I am totally in favor of monitoring ALL kids internet access and activities, and I think it would be a fine thing if no kid under 18 was allowed to have a web page on any social site, twitter or text on a phone. I think that would be FINE. But it's unlikely to happen. So parents need to be careful of MANY things, but I think in looking for the distant or unlikely threat there is a possible danger in overlooking the more obvious threats closer to home.

Those who are concerned about internet child safety can participate here : http://www.unh.edu/ccrc/

That website also has information about prevention of internet crimes against children as well as information on other crimes against children.

The relevant American Bar Association page: http://new.abanet.org/child/Pages/default.aspx

For internet technical assistance: http://www.icactraining.org/

FBI site on preventing crimes against children: http://www.fbi.gov/about-us/investigate/vc_majorthefts/cac/crimes_against_children

Extensive resources here: http://www.missingkids.com/missingkids/servlet/PublicHomeServlet?LanguageCountry=en_US

 

[Dar]

this was just found on a quick google search

According to the FBI and The US Dept. of Justice:

800,000 juveniles (under 18) are reported missing each year, but this includes runaways.

"Family kidnapping" accounts for nearly 50% of all child kidnappings.

Approximately 80% of acquaintance and stranger kidnappings are sexually motivated.

For every 10,000 missing child reports (including runaways) around one child was killed, according to the U.S. Justice Department in 1990.

It revealed that more than 70 percent of kidnapping done by strangers happened in parks or playgrounds, and only 7 percent took place in public places like shopping malls. Almost 90 percent of these crimes were committed by males in the age group 20 to 40. Less than 60 percent of the time the abducted child was found alive, but 4 percent of these children were never found at all

these stats are to big of a gamble...

my son does not have a facebook account
he does not have an email account

all my childrens internet activities are monitored no internet if dad or I are not in the room... computers are password protected so that there is no unknown usage.. WiFi is encripted so I pods and other electronics cant gain access...

my sons cell phone has an app on it .. if an unknown number calls him it ditches the call before the phone even rings.. the only numbers that the app will allow through are numbers in the saved phone book. the only numbers in there are mine my husbands and my moms... his own brothers number is not in there... when I get the bill in everymonth I check it.. because he is not on any plan ANY text messages or outgoing calls are noted on the bill

my children are not mall rats and do not hang out at the mall.. we live out in the country and cant just jump on a bus to get to the mall
they dont hang out at arcades
they are not involved in church
they do not participate in activities that we (myself or my husband) are not there all the time and are never in a change room

you are correct to a point... SEXUAL crimes against children are typically a person known to the family stranger abductions still do happen

 

[welsummerchicks]

Yes, and it sounds like you have done a phenomenal job of protecting your kids!

 

[Toast n Jelly]

Quote:
You have to be very proud of yourself! You're a great parent.

 

[Happy Chooks]

I would be furious, so no, you are not overreacting. My DH would be even more furious as he's very knowledgeable in that area.

My childs school posts every child's grades ON LINE. You can log on at home and check your child's grades any time you want. My DH is not at all happy with this, as the schools security is zip, zero, zilch. They also got rid of gate, but created a new class where your child can learn to do powerpoint presentations and facebook. How often does a 10 year old need to do a powerpoint presentation? I'm pulling my child out and homeschooling him next year.

 

[Dar]

Well I just got back from a meeting with the school... here are the results..

apparently the Ministry of Education has said that the school boards must start using an on-line format for charting the goals and dream, strengths and weakness of each child. This program must also include a section where the children can input what their future career plans are so that they will have the information at their fingertips to help them with course selection when they enter high school

what the school board FAILED to do was provide a list of approved sites/companies to achieve this on-line paper free goal... I dont know why they would do this.. everything from the format of the school term, approved books ect must be ministry approved before use.. I see these sites as an extension of the school resources.

It was left up to the school boards to create this list of approved sites/companies and provide it to each affected school

So now some wise person at the board level just came up with names of sites/companies and never checked their credentials, the school in-turn blindly followed these sites.... NO ONE CHECKED the security or sites out for anything.. just **POOF** heres a list!

So I have suggested that someone put the big persons pants on and accept responsibility and then take action to correct this faux pas...