WCS Teams with Law Enforcement to Launch New Video Series

Published August 16, 2013

A split second decision can last a lifetime. That's the message the district is sending to students through a new video series.

Over the summer, WCS partnered with members of the Franklin Police Department, Williamson County Sheriff's Office and the District Attorney General's Office to produce several short vignettes that tackle topics like sexting, digital citizenship and internet safety.

"While technology can be a wonderful thing, we realize there can be hidden dangers as well," said Superintendent Dr. Mike Looney. "We are fortunate to have a great relationship with local law enforcement agencies, and I applaud them for helping us in this effort to educate parents and students about the dangers of the digital age."

The common theme of the video series is to encourage students to think about the consequences of their actions before doing something that could come back to haunt them.

"Looking back, whether to yesterday or when I was a teen, I’ve made hundreds of thousands of split-second decisions," said Franklin Police Lt. Charles Warner. "Some were right, and some brought regret. As a dad, my hopes for my own children are that they take seriously each of the countless decisions before them. My advice to students: Do the right thing, even when no one is looking. What you say or do may seem like it only matters in the moment – and that’s true in many cases, but not all. As a career police officer, I have seen people’s lives forever changed, even destroyed, because of one bad decision."

A new video will be featured in each issue of IN FOCUS. This week's presentation features Lieutenant Warner discussing digital citizenship and how it relates to social media.