New child safety program to be offered in Laurel County

Laurel County, KY - Sheriff John Root is reporting that: Laurel Sheriff's Office Special Deputy Elizabeth Sparks will be offering a child safety awareness program for our community beginning this summer.

The program would consist of two evening sessions with the first session being parents/guardians only. Several topics would be discussed including:

general child/adolescent safety/health

social media and its dangers

sexual predators and tactics including befriending parents

drugs, alcohol, and tobacco use by children

bullying and how to prevent it, or address it

Sexting/messaging/gaming

children's Kentucky ID cards

abduction

children staying home alone

unintended exposure to topics that are not age appropriate

provide information for parents/guardians for other programs they may need

The second session, parents/guardians and children, would be brought together to encourage developing a good flow of communication between them, and also providing information for family programs and counseling services. The following would be discussed:

general safety

stranger danger – or adults that make unusual comments/requests

sexting/messaging/gaming

drugs/alcohol/tobacco use

bullying

social media dangers

safety when home alone or outside alone

abduction prevention methods/techniques

Sheriff Root stresses that it is our goal at the Laurel County Sheriff's office to make area families/children more aware of their surroundings, and to provide some preventative safety measures that can make our families and children safer. The classes will be conducted free of charge. More information will follow at a later date.