The Internet brings benefits to education that were previously unimaginable. But it has also brought risks to children in new and frightening ways.
A child predator doesn't need to try to lure children from a street corner. He can do it while they are sitting in front of their computers, posing as somebody their own age.
So legislation being pushed by House Minority Leader Bradley H. Jones, R-North Reading, to require school districts to confront those risks is appropriate.
It would mandate that public schools have a policy on Internet use, and to make that policy known to the parents and guardians of students.
Jones said the bill does not dictate to school districts what their policy should be — only that they must have one.
"Obviously, we don't want to be seen making that determination," he said. "For the state to say 'one size fits all' doesn't make sense."
He's right. And as long as the bill is not amended to go beyond that general mandate, it should assuage the justifiable concern of school officials such as Gloucester Superintendent Christopher Farmer that the state will not be able to resist the temptation to "micromanage school districts." In particular, Farmer says he doesn't want another "costly mandate" — and that's understandable.
In its present form, however, the bill does not do that. It simply requires what most school districts, like Gloucester, already do — establish written rules regarding student Internet use.
Lawrence police Lt. Sean Burke, president of a national safety group and leader of the local Police Department's school resources division, says the local schools have some firewall protection to prevent students from accessing certain Web sites, but he is not aware of a district policy on Internet use.
That district, and all others, ought to have them, to protect students and for self-protection. A district without a written policy could be vulnerable to a lawsuit if a student comes to any harm as a result of Internet use in the schools.
Of course, everyone from legislators on down to school officials should also realize that schools cannot protect students from Internet risks. It is what happens outside of school, in the home, that is the most significant.
It has been said many times that the best protection for minors from drug or alcohol abuse is a healthy relationship with their parents. The same is true of the Internet.
Anything the schools can do to promote those healthy relationships will do more to protect students than a policy, no matter how comprehensive or well-intended.
