Web Wise Kids Applauds House Passage of Legislation Supporting Funding for Internet Safety Education

ORANGE COUNTY, CA and WASHINGTON, DC, Jun 16 (MARKET
WIRE) --
Web Wise Kids applauds House passage today of legislation clarifying that
funding through the Department of Education's Enhancing Education Through
Technology Program (EETT) can be spent on Internet safety education for
kids.

"We applaud House passage of H.R. 780 and thank Congressman Adam Putnam
for his leadership in sponsoring the legislation," said Web Wise Kids CEO
Judi Westberg Warren. "Although Web Wise Kids has always believed that
schools should be encouraged to use the EETT program to support Internet
safety education, this bill provides important clarification that funding
under this program should be used to develop and implement programs that
promote safe Internet use."

The primary goal of the EETT program, commonly known as the "Ed Tech"
program, is to improve student academic achievement through the use of
technology in schools. It is also designed to ensure that every student is
technologically literate by the end of eighth grade and encourage the
effective integration of technology with teacher training. Under the Ed
Tech program, the Department of Education provides grants to State
Educational Agencies (SEAs) on the basis of their proportionate share of
funding under Title I. States may retain up to 5 percent of their
allocations for State-level activities, and must distribute one-half of
the remainder by formula to eligible local educational agencies (LEAs)
and the other one-half competitively to eligible local entities.

"The time has arrived for Congress to move swiftly to pass comprehensive
Internet safety education legislation," added Warren. "Web Wise Kids
reaffirms our support for legislation sponsored by Senator Robert Menendez
and Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz that would provide critical
resources to America's educational infrastructure to train educators in
online risk prevention and empower students and parents with hands-on
opportunities to use technology safely for generations to come."

The Menendez-Wasserman Schultz bill, S. 1047, would establish a
competitive Internet safety education grant program for state and local
education agencies and non-profit organizations to promote the safe use
of digital technologies. The legislation authorizes over $175 million
over five years for the grant program, which will be administered by the
U.S. Department of Justice in collaboration with the Departments of
Education and Health & Human Services. The grants would also provide
much-needed professional development training to educators so they have
tools to teach children safely use the Internet.

About Web Wise Kids

Web Wise Kids is a national non-profit organization dedicated to
preventing online child victimization by providing innovative tools to
assist youth to stay safe online. Web Wise Kids implements interactive
Internet safety programs nationwide in conjunction with school systems,
law enforcement, teachers, community-based youth organizations and
others. The Web Wise Kids products were chosen to participate in the
federal initiative Project Safe Childhood. Web Wise Kids programs have
reached over six million children and thousands of parents nationwide.
For more information, visit www.webwisekids.org or call + 1 714-435-2885.

Media Contact
Tim Jemal
Jemal Public Affairs
202-263-1120
Tim@jemalpublicaffairs.com

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