Safety is our top priority when students are learning in school or at a distance. Help us encourage online safety for students by:

• Using sites that protect student information. Look for sites that start with https://
• Requiring students to be signed in using their IMO student account
• Use technology in open common spaces, if possible, never allow video conferencing behind closed doors
• Discuss the difference between personal vs. private information with students and remind them to keep passwords private

Click the links below to view resources from Common Sense Media

Common Sense Media Family Engagement Toolkit

K - 5 Family Tips Privacy & Security

• English
• Spanish
• Arabic, Chinese, Farsi, Korean, Russian, Tagalog, Urdu, and Vietnamese

6 - 12 Family Tips Privacy & Security

• English
• Spanish
• Arabic, Chinese, Farsi, Korean, Russian, Tagalog, Urdu, and Vietnamese

Keep students safe online is a team sport and you are the MVP. IMO/IMHS supports families by continuing to filter student internet usage on IMO/IMHS devices at home 24/7. You can support student safety too by updating your home internet settings to address areas that are specific to your family. Depending on your internet provider parents may be able to pause internet access, schedule wi-fi availability, set time access limits, and more. Click on the links below to learn more about the parent controls available from your cable provider.

• Spectrum https://www.spectrum.net/support/tv/about-parental-controls/
• Comcast https://www.xfinity.com/support/articles/set-up-parental-controls-with-comcast-networking

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends that parents/guardians of 5 to 18 years old place consistent limits on the use of any media. This includes entertainment media (like watching TV and movies), as well as educational media (like creating flash cards on a smartphone app).

Not all screen time is created equal. It's up to parents/guardians to decide how (and how often) their students use screens and whether screen time is positive or negative. For instance, time spent on homework or other educational activities might not need to be as restricted as time spent playing video games.

For students, screen time should not replace time needed for sleeping, eating, being active, studying, and interacting with family and friends.

The same parenting rules apply to screen time as to anything else — set a good example, establish limits, and talk with your student about it.

To make your student's screen time more productive:

• Research video and computer games before letting your student get them. Look at the ratings, which can run from EC (meaning "early childhood") to AO (meaning "adults only"). Teens probably should be limited to games rated T (for "teens") or younger.
• Preview games and even play them with your student to see what they're like. The game's rating may not match what you feel is appropriate.
• Make sure students have a variety of free-time activities, like spending time with friends and playing sports, which can help them develop a healthy body and mind.
• Turn off all screens during family meals and at bedtime. Also, keep devices with screens out of your student's bedroom after bedtime, and don't allow a TV in your student’s bedroom.
• Treat screen time as a privilege that students need to earn, not a right that they're entitled to. Tell them that screen time is allowed only after chores and homework are done.
• Spend screen time together to make sure that what your student sees is appropriate. Watch TV, play games, go online — use screen time together as a chance to interact and communicate.
• Use screening tools on the TV, personal computers, and tablets to block your student's access to inappropriate material.
• Teach your student about internet safety and social media smarts, and make sure he or she knows the dangers of sharing private information online or sexting.

IMO/IMHS provides filters for the Internet on digital devices both on campus in compliance Children's Internet Protection Act and off campus as a service to the community. This means that no matter which Wi-Fi SSID a student is connected to (home, airport, restaurant, library), they will be subject to the school's Internet filter. However, no Internet solution is perfect, and it is very important that parents monitor their student's Internet use. Many parents/guardians choose to limit their student's use of the Internet at home to common areas, such as kitchen and family rooms.

Students who access inappropriate sites during the school day or access sites that are not related to the class they are in will face disciplinary action from the teacher and/or administration.  If sites are accessed by accident (which does occur at times) it is recommended that the student immediately move to another site and report the incident to an adult.

Parents/Guardians do not have access to administrative rights on their student's digital device and therefore cannot install additional filtering software.

Student devices are updated wirelessly and remotely during the school year, to keep devices in tip top show. But in order for some updates to take effect you MUST restart your device. We recommend totally shutting down and restarting each device once per week in order to ensure it is working at its best. Make it a Sunday routine to get ready for the week!

Family Group

A family group helps families stay connected and keeps kids safer on Windows 10, Xbox devices, and Android devices running Microsoft Family Safety. It's free, and it's one of the many benefits of having a Microsoft account. With the settings on family.microsoft.com, you can get reports on a child's activity, set screen time limits, check on a child's location, limit which websites and games they can access, and require your approval to purchase from the Microsoft Store.

Learn more about Microsoft Family Groups

Use parental controls on your child's iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch

Manage your child's account on Chromebook