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Chances are he or she is online, using the family computer to surf the World Wide Web. Children from age 3 to 18 love computer time for everything from playing games, researching a school project, to instant messaging their friends and chatting with other kids from all over the world. As parents, we have to be and need to be concerned about what happens when our children sit down in front of the screen and log on. According to a 2004 i-SAFE survey, 42 percent of children in fourth through eighth grade have been bullied while online. As many as 50 percent of youth thinks it's OK, or not a concern, to give out personal information while they are on-line. Another equally frightening statistic is that nearly three out of 10 of parents don't know or are not sure if their teens talk to strangers online.

Michigan Attorney General Mike Cox and Kalkaska resident Robin Bolen are out to change that.

Cox, in office since 2003, is taking responsibility for the arrest of more than 150 Internet predators through his Child and Public Protection Unit. Knowing this alone is not enough to guarantee the safety of Michigan children, his office has launched Michigan Cyber Safety Initiative with the 2007-2008 school year. Michigan CSI is an Internet safety education program with customized presentations for kindergarten through eighth-grade students and a community seminar.

Kalkaska Public Schools will be hosting this initiative due to the efforts of Robin Bolen, a concerned parent who knows just how unsafe the internet can be for children. Bolen submitted the necessary paperwork to register the schools and community for this multiple-day program.

Beginning the morning of Feb. 21, students in the district's kindergarten through eighth-grade buildings will attend sessions to teach them about Internet safety. At 6 p.m. that evening, parents and other community members are invited to the Kalkaska High School for the free community seminar. The program will again be offered on Thursday, Feb. 21, at the Rapid City Elementary School, also at 6 p.m.

During the community seminar, parents and concerned citizens will learn about how to talk with their children about being cyber safe. They also will learn how to access the Michigan Sex Offender Registry; obtain reliable information on parental control software and learn how to search and access their child's social networking sites (MySpace and Facebook). Viewing internet history logs and how to access and modify settings for safer surfing on internet search engines will also be discussed.

Registration is not required and there no charge for any of the sessions.