Rep. Linda Sánchez Speaks out on Cyberbullying
November 10, 2009

i-SAFE project started with $190,000 federal funds secured by Sánchez

Whittier, CA  Rep. Linda Sánchez spoke to students and teachers at Nelson Elementary School today on the dangers of cyberbullying. Rep. Sánchez secured $190,000 in federal funding for i-SAFE, Inc., a non-profit foundation, to provide anti-bullying , internet safety programs, training and a mobile computer lab at Los Nietos School District.

“Words that didn’t exist just a couple of years ago, including “sexting,” and “textual harassment,” describe the new ways people use technology to hurt, harass, and humiliate others,” continued Sánchez. “That is why schools need online safety programs, like the i-SAFE curriculum, to help keep our children safer and on the right track in school.”

i-SAFE incorporates classroom curriculum with community outreach to empower students, teachers, parents, law enforcement, and concerned adults to make the internet a safer place. With the federal funding, i-SAFE provides a comprehensive program that includes grade level appropriate cyber safety curriculum, professional training of Los Nietos staff, and student and parent assemblies.

“I know, from meeting with kids, moms and dads, teachers, and police officers that more and more young people and being bullied online,” said Rep. Linda Sánchez. “Bullying is not a harmless prank or rite of passage. It is dangerous, both physically and mentally.”

Rep. Sánchez encouraged the students to use their MySpace, Facebook, and cell phones in a smart way, reminding them that once they put their words out, they can never get them back.

Rep. Sánchez is also the sponsor of federal legislation titled, the “Megan Meier Cyberbullying Prevention Act,” (H.R. 1966), which would give federal prosecutors the ability to punish cyberbullies who engage in repeated, hostile, and severe electronic communication made with an intent to harm.