Thursday, Senator John Cornyn met with law enforcement and non-profits to talk about a bill that would provide grants to investigate cases of online child exploitation. The bill has drawn bipartisan support and would reauthorize an existing program through 2028.
During the roundtable, he also heard from Dallas ISD on how schools work to protect kids from online predators.
"Obviously, privacy is something that's important to all of us, but when it comes to your children, I think what I heard is that is your enemy," Cornyn says.
Superintendent Stephanie Elizalde says Dallas ISD provides parents with a list of potentially dangerous apps and websites.
"We certainly keep a running list," she says. "But as everyone knows, these lists continuously evolve. It's more about looking through the list so they can go back to see if it's something your son or daughter was on."
Elizalde says any laptops or tablets issued by the district will have safeguards already installed to block access to sites or apps where an adult could pose as a child or try to build a relationship with a student.
"But many times, this is being done on a different device, kids' phones for example," she says.
Elizalde urges parents to talk to their kids about interacting with strangers online. She also says parents should look at their kids' browsing history and check the apps they are using.
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