As part of the JKHA middle school’s ongoing effort to teach students about being responsible in the fast-paced, digital world, the seventh and eighth grades participated in an interactive program about teenagers and technology.

The students had the opportunity to hear from Detective Edward DeLafuente, from the Millburn Police Department. Drawing on his experience in law enforcement, Detective DeLafuente highlighted the importance of safe and appropriate digital communication. He spoke about the use of different online apps, emphasized the importance of ensuring proper privacy settings on all digital communication and talked about the challenges inherent in the anonymity of the internet. He encouraged students to consider the permanency of the internet when they post things online and gave them suggestions of how to make good decisions about what to post.

Students then broke into smaller discussion groups, facilitated by guidance department staff, to reflect upon the presentation and the way it could be applicable to their lives, and the challenges that they encounter with their digital communication. Detective Delafuente visited several of the groups and answered specific questions that students raised in response to the presentation. The school looks forward to Detective Delafuente’s parent presentation in January, in which he will highlight ways that parents can ensure that their children are using technology in a safe and healthy manner.