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According to the Michigan Attorney General, 89% of all sexual solicitations of youth are made through chat rooms or through instant messaging.

In response to the issue, the Imlay City Community Schools will host Michigan Attorney General Mike Cox's Cyber Safety Initiative the week of Jan. 21. Part of that program will occur during the day at Imlay City Middle and Borland Elementary schools, with age appropriate presentations for all students.

The second part of the program will be an evening presentation at the middle school that is free for parents and open to the public at 6:30 p.m. Jan. 23. The evening session will teach parents how to access Internet usage/history, become familiar with chat room acronyms and language, how to modify the home computer to make surfing safer, and how to access Michigan's Sex Offender Registry.

Kish, a technology teacher at Imlay City Middle School, filled out the paperwork to get CSI to come to the school. He said his school uses twin computer filters to prevent students from getting on inappropriate Web sites, but that still doesn't stop them from having access. "Kids are very innovative," Kish said. "They walk out of this building and don't have a filter at home."

Borland Elementary School Principal Bill Kalmar said the need for cyber awareness is there.

"To me, anything that helps make parents aware is valuable," Kalmar said. "In an hour the state won't be able to tell you everything, but they'll go over the warning signs so parents know (about cyber dangers). The biggest concern at Borland is we want to teach kids good habits. We were taught not to talk to strangers, but the world has changed. You shouldn't tell your name on the computer. With older kids the message is to be very careful and they're very socially conscious. It makes them gullible. There's a need for education. With parents it's about being pro-active. We want to raise awareness."

Examples of tragedy are easy to find associated with cyberspace. In 2006, a 13-year-old girl committed suicide from a cruel on-line hoax done to her by classmates on a social networking Web site, My Space.

Warning signs for parents, according to CSI, are: Kids spending large amounts of time online (especially at night); finding pornography on a child's computer; your child receiving phone calls from strangers or making calls to unrecognizable numbers; your child receiving mail, gifts, or packages from a stranger; your child turns the computer monitor off or quickly changes the monitor's screen when you come into the room; your child becomes withdrawn from the family; your child is using an online account belonging to someone else; and when your child is on-line they are using a Web cam or microphone you didn't know they had.

Kish said Judy Paxson from the AG's office will make the presentations at the middle school. "She will be in the schools talking directly to the kids in age appropriate (sessions)," he said. "The AG's office has done an unbelievably good job at putting this together."

For more information on the CSI, visit www.michigan.gov/ag.

For more information about the community seminar, contact Kalmar at (810) 724-9813.

Jennifer Decker can be reached at (810) 664-0811, Ext. 8125 or jennifer.decker@lapeergroup.com