Feds to teach LAUSD students how to stay safe online

In an effort to combat child sexual exploitation, federal officials will teach Los Angeles Unified School District students, employees and parents how to stay safe online.

A memorandum of understanding was announced Friday between the U.S. Attorney’s Office and Homeland Security Investigations, the nation’s second-largest school district.

HSI Los Angeles special representatives, primarily from the Child Exploitation Investigation Group, will present iGuardian trainings aimed at educating participants about the dangers of online sexual predators and teaching them how to avoid and report abuse. The in-person learning program will focus primarily on tweens and teens, but could be adapted for younger children as well as staff and parents, officials said. a newsletter.

The program is part of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s national campaign to raise awareness of online child sexual exploitation, which the agency calls a “rapidly growing threat.” The effort also stems from a long-standing initiative by the U.S. Department of Justice aimed at combating technology-facilitated sexual crimes against children.