The Virginia Department of Education and the state office of the Attorney General have put their support behind the (ISC)² Safe and Secure Online program aimed at teaching students about protecting themselves online.

The program teaches 11 to 14 year old students about the potential dangers of social networking, cyber bullying, viral e-mails, spam, and identity theft, among other topics.

The program is offered to all schools in the US at no cost. (ISC)² is an organization that offers training and certification to cyber security professionals. Virginia is the first state to express its support for the initiative.

The Safe and Secure Online program brings top security experts from business and government into schools to talk directly to kids about online safety. The program, announced in October 2009, currently has 600 volunteers.

Source: Virginia Puts State Support Behind School Cyber Security Program, T.H.E. Journal, December 8, 2009

Tags: US, Virginia, online child safety