DECATUR COUNTY, GA (WTXL) — The Grady County Sheriff's Office is partnering with Law Publication to bring educational resources on major safety concerns to local students, with leaders saying the initiative is about more than distributing information — it's about preparing kids to make safer decisions.
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Stephen Francis has led the Jackie Robinson Boys and Girls Club in Cairo for the past 10 years. After decades of working with young people, he says one thing hasn't changed: helping kids succeed starts with helping them feel safe. But he says the conversations around safety have evolved.
"These kids are so social media, they're so savvy, and then we're still old school, so don't do it because I told you to. They need more than that now."
"Well, why are you telling me to? I don't understand. Why do I need to, you know, not go over there? Why do I not need to hang out with this person? I mean, it almost seems like we're babying them, but, you know, you just have to go the extra mile with this generation," Francis said.
Those evolving challenges are why the Grady County Sheriff's Office continues partnering with Law Publication, providing schools and youth organizations with hundreds of pieces of educational resources on issues including drug awareness, cyberbullying, and online safety.
Investigator Tommy Gainous with the Grady County Sheriff's Office says with kids having more access to people around the world, the dangers are higher.
"You just don't ever know who's on the other end of that game or that app, whatever you want to use, you just, you never know who you're talking to. You could think it's your friend, that could go online and get a picture of your friend off the internet somewhere, posted as their little icon, and then you think it's your friend, and next thing, you know, you're giving personal information and bad things could happen," Gainous said.
Leaders say they hope these resources do more than educate students — they hope they encourage conversations at home and give young people the confidence to recognize danger and make safe choices.
The Sheriff's Office will distribute the informational reading materials at the Grady County Back to School Blitz this Saturday, July 25, from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. at the Cairo High School gymnasium. They will also be available at the Jackie Robinson Boys and Girls Club of Cairo and Grady on Saturday, July 25, at 10 a.m., while supplies last.
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