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Arizona districts required to monitor online activities

Beginning this week, school districts in Arizona are required to teach cyberbullying awareness and monitor online chats and social media in schools [1], in keeping with a bolstered Children’s Internet Protection Act, the Arizona Republic reports. Several school boards have revised their decades-old policies regarding Internet safety, and in turn receive discounts of up to 90 percent on their telecommunication bills. Mesa Public Schools, which at 64,000 students represents the largest district in the state, is mandating that students attend anti-bullying awareness classes, which include rules against harassing students online and at school. Mesa Public Schools will spend $2.8 million on Internet access and telecommunications [1], which represents a 75-percent discount for compliance with the Children’s Internet Protection Act. According to Mel Van Patten of Oklahoma-based Kellogg & Sovereign Consulting, the decreased cost could mean the difference between smaller districts having internet access or not [1]

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