When looking into moving homes, we observe multiple aspects in choosing which neighborhood we want to move our families. There is price, distance, housing quality, and other characteristics that ultimately decide which place we are most comfortable in picking. But perhaps no factor is more important than the neighborhood’s school district.

There is ongoing change happening around our country, along with diversification programs that are thankfully gathering more momentum within multiple sectors. With the transformation of neighborhoods due to population growth, school district funding can change based on numerous local, state, and national factors.

However, planning out your family’s future school district isn’t as simple as statistics on a page.  You don’t have to be a school administrator or a real estate appraiser to educate yourself with this helpful information. Looking into both the way public school districts are funded and the particular school district you have in mind will help ensure that your children have successful educational futures.

Public School Districts

A properly funded and well maintained public school system is what to look for when examining your children’s future school district. First, we’ll be making a clear distinction between private and public schools and observing the latter when it comes to school districts. With private schools, a parent pays a clear tuition fee that the private school operator collects.

Public schools, by comparison, are regulated by local, state, and federal law. Thus, they are operated from a mixture of locally-, state-, and federally-collected and distributed funding. Less than ten percent of total funds come from the federal level (through Title I and other means), with the majority coming from locally- and state-collected funds. About half of these total funds come from local property taxes.

Funding must then be circulated into individual districts. They can then hire appropriate staff, purchase necessary equipment and supplies, and maintain their operating structure (and, if able within their funding, construct new additions to their schools). These days, choosing a new school for your kids has a lot to do with school funding is about distribution, and if a community is progressively or regressively allocating its funding to the students who need it the most.

Progressive School Funding

What does it mean, then, to classify a public school district as “progressive?” Well, there are a few indicating characteristics. An Urban Institute study in 2017 found that there are 35 states–70 percent of the country–that specifically target low-income students with public school funding. New Jersey and Connecticut are examples of states that have progressive funding systems in place at the state level–though this can sometimes result in problems at the local funding level regarding income disparity. When this occurs, states will attempt to correct public school funding that it believes is inequitable.

In particular, New Jersey makes up for this by balancing its local and state public school funding, making it progressive to the amount of $1,453 per student. States differ in terms of progressive vs. regressive public school funding due to economic disparity, as well as differences in legislation. No matter which area you’re moving to, it’s essential to be aware of how your school district is funded on the state and local levels.

Tips for Changing Your School District

We’ve examined the overall way that school districts are funded these days. Still, careful research into your move itself is vital to ensure a comfortable adjustment for your children. It’s essential first to look into a few tips crucial to making the moving process, and changing school districts, an easier one.

You’ll want to be aware of any waiting periods to enroll your child in a certain district’s public school. You’ll also need to ensure that you have your children’s immunization records and medical forms on file, which is more necessary these days than ever before. Look into extracurricular activities such as virtual creative groups, which will help your child expand their new community of friends.

Additionally, email your child’s future guidance counselor about this recent move, and how it (as well as changing schools) may be taking up a large degree of their mental space. This will inform them and make them aware of a possible situation where your child finds it difficult to adapt to the new experience.

But more than anything, it’s vital to take a look into the individual districts in terms of teaching, subject proficiency, transportation management, funding allocation, and other informational aspects to determine for yourself how you view its quality of schooling. We’ve discussed public school funding and its distribution, but that’s only part of the equation.

Schools may rank highly in math proficiency, for example, when compared to the state average. (New Jersey’s math proficiency is 42 percent, for example, while its top five schools in this category all rank at 95 percent or higher.) However, if your child has special needs or is seeking a program that focuses on foreign language immersion, these rankings may not be as useful to you.

Additional factors to consider during your future school district search

Take the time to ask yourself some questions:

What is this school district’s subject proficiency in the topics I want my child to excel in?

What is this school district’s graduation rate?

Which school districts per state have the highest spending per student, and how is it allocated?

Which school districts have the lowest teacher to student ratio?

As parents, we naturally want the best for our children. Moving is never easy and choosing the best neighborhood for our family can be a monumental task that takes dedicated planning. With knowledge of the public school system and having a few tips on hand for the move, you can do your part in researching the district of your future neighborhood and setting your child on the right path for their educational future.

About the Author
Jennifer Walker is a freelance writer, blogger, dog-enthusiast, and avid beach goer operating out of Southern New Jersey.

If you keep up with the news, then you’re all too familiar with stories about cyberbullying. As a parent, you might be concerned that your child could become a victim of online bullying. Equally worrying is the possibility that your child is a cyberbully.

Whether your child is being bullied online or your child is doing the bullying, there’s a good chance that they won’t tell you what’s going on. However your child is involved in cyberbullying, it can have serious consequences, which is why you must learn how to recognize the signs. The critical first step to helping your child is being able to tell if they’re involved in online bullying.

You want to protect your child from the dangers of the world and that includes cyberbullying. Even if you don’t consider yourself internet savvy, you can still familiarize yourself with the indicators for if your child is bullying other children online or if they’re the target of cyberbullying. Since your child may not even know what counts as cyberbullying, stay vigilant for any signs that they may be involved in online bullying.

The Dangers of Cyberbullying

To start, the definition of cyberbullying is using technology such as social media to deliberately and repeatedly harass, threaten, and humiliate another person. Online bullying can range from someone spreading rumors online and creating fake social media profiles to sending mean texts or emails. Your son or daughter might not come home from school with a black eye, but online bullying can be just as damaging as physical bullying.

Because cyberbullying is a relatively new phenomenon since it’s directly related to the rise of the internet, there isn’t much research available regarding its long-term effects. But, psychologists agree that being the victim of traditional bullying puts a child at risk for anxiety and depression as well as decreases their ability to concentrate in school. Individuals who experience emotional trauma as children or adolescents can carry that stress and anguish well into adulthood.

The victims of bullying aren’t the only ones who suffer. Bullies themselves endure long-term consequences. Unlike their well-adjusted peers, bullies often don’t learn essential life skills such as the ability to compromise and negotiate. Children who never grasp how to work with others could have trouble forming healthy relationships as an adult and may even be more likely to engage in criminal activity. For both bullies and victims, cyberbullying can lead to mental health issues in children.

How to Tell If Your Child Is the Victim of Cyberbullying

Often, children are reluctant to tell their parents that someone is bullying them. In the case of cyberbullying, kids sometimes don’t even realize that they’re being bullied. Since there is a good chance your child won’t come forward themselves, you should know how to tell if your child is the victim of online bullying.  Beside behavioral signs, there are parental apps that can assisting you in actively monitoring cyberbullying activity.

Children with learning or thinking differences could be at a higher risk of being cyberbullied. Signs to watch out for include sudden changes in their computer usage, not wanting to use the computer in common spaces, and changing the screen when you’re around. If your child seems nervous or on edge when they receive a message, text, or email, someone might be bullying them online.

Your child expressing feelings of loneliness or saying something along the lines of “I have no friends” could also indicate they are the victim of cyberbullying. Finally, if your child becomes withdrawn and doesn’t want to go to school, there’s likely an issue that requires your attention. Encourage them to turn off social media, and on your own, research the school’s cyberbullying policies. Depending on the severity of the situation, you may need to involve other parents, the school, and possibly law enforcement.

Signs Your Child Is a Cyberbully

Being the victim isn’t the only way your child can be involved in cyberbullying. They could be the one doing the online bullying. Your first instinct might be to shut your eyes and cover your ears and deny that your child could ever do such a thing, but ignoring the problem only serves to deny your child the chance to change their behavior and learn from what they’ve done. You can’t teach your child not to be a cyberbully if you ignore the signs that they are one.

Furthermore, failing to recognize your child’s actions could mean that you’re overlooking underlying issues. Keep in mind that cyberbullying is even more common among older teenagers (14-18). They might be cyberbullying in retaliation or feeling pressure to follow the lead of someone in their peer group and simply acting as a cyberbully bystander. It’s possible that online bullying is their way of handling a bigger stressor such as divorce or changing schools. You’ll never get to the bottom of the issue if you don’t first see the signs and confront the fact that your child is a cyberbully.

One major indicator that your child is involved in online bullying is if they’re unwilling to discuss or share information about their online accounts or activities. As with the victims of cyberbullying, increased secretiveness is a warning sign. If you’re suspicious, then enforce keeping devices in commonly used areas.

Whether your child is showing signs that they are a cyberbully or the target of cyberbullying, your first step in addressing the issue should be talking to your child. One way to start the conversation is to share your own experience with bullying. But, you won’t be able to have that all-important talk unless you’re able to tell if your child is involved in cyberbullying. Take time to familiarize yourself with the indicators, and then, make a point of staying vigilant. Cyberbullying can have serious consequences for both the victim and bully, so keep a watchful eye for any signs that your child is involved in online bullying.

With the rise of technology, online security is more important than ever. Hackers are always developing new ways of compromising banking accounts. You do not want to be a victim of these cybercriminals, and most especially, you do not want your loved ones to fall in the trap. Thus,are there ways to make sure yours and your family’s finances are safe online?

There are many things you can do to protect your family from hackers. You can install the best antivirus, use a VPN to hide your IP, create strong passwords, and avoid clicking on bad links, etc. Read the entire guide to learn more.

Install the Best Antivirus

One of the effective ways of protecting your finances online is by installing good antimalware. A good antivirus will protect you from all malware created by hackers such as Trojans, Viruses, ransomware, adware, spyware, to name just a few.

The best antivirus comes with extra features to keep your online accounts safe from scams and other cybercriminals. Here are the features to look out for when buying one;

• Malware protection; a good antivirus program should offer protection against new and advanced forms of malware. Cybercriminals use this malware to steal your banking details such as passwords and usernames.

This protection will improve your device’s native security system. When your devices and online accounts are protected, it will be less likely that your credit card numbers will be exposed to hackers.

• Ransomware protection; ransomware is a type of malware that encrypts a victim’s files. The best antivirus will prevent your data from being held ransom.

• Phishing protection; it is so easy to click on a link that disguises as your bank. A good anti malware will warn you when you are about to enter into a fake site.

On a fake website, hackers entice you into entering sensitive information such as credit card details, email addresses and passwords. Hackers use this information to steal your money. With a good antivirus, hackers will not be able to steal this data.

You will also be warned if you receive fraudulent emails that look as if they are from a friend, a company or financial institutions.

Parental control features; since many kids are spending more time online, they need an antivirus that can keep them safe from predators, addictive apps, and hackers.  A good antimalware program has parental control features that can filter out offensive content, block tracking apps and give the exact location of your kids for proper monitoring.

Use a VPN to hide your IP address

Get a good VPN. It will increase your security on private and public internet connections making it hard for cybercriminals to steal your financial information.

With a VPN, your details, like your location revealed by your IP address, are hidden, so you can securely access websites, apps, entertainment and more. It offers online privacy. Your internet provider, tracking website and internet browsers cannot be able to tell what you are doing online or able to disclose your sensitive information.

With this program, you can share any file without worrying a hacker might know its content.

Use 2-Factor Authentication to Protect your Financial Accounts

One of the best ways of protecting your family from hackers is by using 2-factor authentication to secure their online accounts.  Usernames and passwords are no longer sufficient since hackers can guess them.

With multi-factor authentication or 2-factor authentication, you will be required to verify your identity either by use of a call, text, or a code being sent to your phone number.  This provides an extra layer of security to your online accounts.

This technology can use your fingerprint, voice, and facial recognition so as to verify your identity.  Many banking institutions are using this technology since it best secures your information online.

Create strong passwords

If you want your family to stay safe online, encourage them to create strong passwords for their online accounts. Strong passwords are hard to crack.  A strong password that can beat hackers has the following characteristics;

• Has 15 characters or even more
• Has a mix of numbers, letters, and characters. Don’t forget to include too uppercase and lowercase letters
• Avoid easy passwords such as 123, admin
• Avoid using your names, phone numbers and your birth date as your password. Do not use passwords that you have used before or use for your other online accounts.

Remember, the best passwords will thwart brute force and make your accounts hard to break.

Educating Kids

The more your kids know about online safety the better they will be equipped to deal doing their part.  They will more easily understand the dangers of financial hacking when they first respect the value of money.  You can also start simply by teaching kids how to use online finances responsibly.

Hopefully when you received a phishing email regarding one of your online accounts you didn’t click the link and try to login. This is how hackers attempt to gain access to your account without you knowing. If you did login, immediately close your browser. Then, re-open it and go to the proper sign page through your browser and change your password.

We all get phishing attempts via email but we can do more than just educate ourselves on how to prevent being tricked. Before you delete the phishing email report it to the proper website that the phishing email is trying to access. These same companies have cyber security people that you can forward the email to.  Simultaneously you can report all phishing attempts to the Anti-Phishing Working Group at [email protected]

When concerned about possible virus infection of your computer perform a malware scan. To clarify, most phishing attempts are not created to infect and take over your computer.  Rather, the goal of phishing is to learn your account login details so they can steal your personal information.

Below are some of the more common companies that identity thieves try to mimic. These are just examples and there are many others.  If you don’t see the contact information below for the company you are looking for, simply Google it safely at the top of our website. For example, if the phishing attempt is in regards to PayPal, Google “Report PayPal Phishing”.  Often, you will find an email address posted that you can forward the phishing email to.

Report as Phishing to These Companies

In addition to forwarding phishing emails to appropriate companies and to the Anti-Phishing Working Group, you can also report the phishing link to Google but be careful. Don’t open the link in a browser, simple right click the link and select copy hyperlink. Cut and paste that link into the Google submission form and submit. Then, delete the phishing email. 

Here are a few examples of the top companies whose account holders are the top targets.  These companies want you to forward phishing emails to them so they can prevent future fishing attacks.

PayPal

PayPal is a top target of phishing because it gives thieves direct access to your money. If if you don’t currently have funds in your PayPal account, people with access can make payments out of a bank account or credit card that you have linked to. Report PayPal phishing attempts to [email protected] which can also be accessed on their PayPal suspicious activity.

If you have clicked a bad link or are worried about whether your account has been compromised change your password immediately. Learn more about how PayPal deals with account fraud.

DocuSign

Often, phishing links for DocuSign will go to Google Docs.  This may appear legitimate because it is using the Google domain but really it is someone with a Google account hosting a bad doc to gain your personal information.  Be proactive and report suspicious emails to DocuSign’s security team at [email protected]. If you feel the security of your account is at risk, contact DocuSign customer support.

Below are some tips to help spot the difference between real and spoof DocuSign emails: 

All URLs to view or sign DocuSign documents will contain “docusign.net/” and will always start with https.  All legitimate DocuSign envelopes include a unique security code at the bottom of notification emails. If you do not see this code, don’t click on any links or open any attachments within the email.

For the latest DocuSign security and system performance information, visit the DocuSign Trust Center. 

Report Facebook Phishing

Facebook is one of the largest website in the world with over 2.7 billion active users.  They have taken great strides to protect against phishing and promote that they take seriously all phishing reports when you forward the email to [email protected].   They have also set up security tools to prevent outsiders from signing into your account.  Like many online accounts they recommend and offer ‘two factor authentication’.  They will also email you of suspicious login attempts when you set up to receive unrecognized login notifications.

Netflix

Because Netflix is such a popular streaming service these days, it’s one of the more popular targets for phishing. Netflix states that they will never ask you to click a link to enter personal information about your account. Even if you are not sure the email you receive is a phishing attempt, report it to Netflix by forwarding the email to [email protected]. If you want to check your account to see if something is wrong with your billing, for example, go to Netflix.com directly or via a bookmark you’ve already saved to log into your account.

Here is a classic phishing email that Netflix would never send to you.

Dear user, We’re having some trouble with your current billing information. We’ll try again, but in the meantime you may want to update your payment details.

Most phishing emails feature proper links to the company at the bottom of the email, such as the Netflix support page or contact page. This is to trick you into thinking it’s legit. However, the link in the middle of the email goes to a different website.

Banks and Credit Card Companies

You may only have one bank account and one credit card. So when you receive an email from a bank that you don’t have an account with, it’s easy to ignore. You may even be thinking, why would they send this to me? Well, cyberthieves use spam internet servers to sent the phishing email to millions of people because they know at a percentage of those on the list will have an account with a particular bank.

This is why you will sometimes get an email that looks like it’s from your bank. Don’t worry, the scam artist probably doesn’t know you have an account with a certain bank. You are simply one of millions of people on a list.

Chase is one of the top banks that phishing emails try to mimic.  But really, there are too many banks and credit card companies to list, so it’s wise to be wary of any email from your bank.  Any information you need to know about your bank account will be within your account, so just go to your regular bookmark in your browser to login or to go Google and search for your bank.  You never have to worry if you always go directly to your bank to see if there are any important notifications for you.  Or just call you bank. 

To report a phishing email to your specific bank, search for your financial institution on Google by typing in your bank name followed by the keywords ‘report phishing email’.

Report as Phishing to Apple

Apple is a big one.  Your user name and password gives phishing attempts access to your iCloud account where all of your files are stored, including your contacts and pictures.  If you see any email that looks suspicious report it to Apple by forwarding the email to [email protected].  Apple will never ask you to verify your identity using your password.  They also recommend to protect your Apple ID by using two-factor authentication.  This security measure is available with many online accounts where a code is sent to you via text or email to complete your login.  This means that even if hackers gain access to your user name and password and try to log in, you will get a notification, but unless they have access to your phone, they can’t gain access.

Courier Companies and Shipping Outlets

Couriers include companies like Fed Ex, UPS, DHL Express, Purolator, and USPS.  Shipping may also come from online stores who use couriers, such as Amazon and Target.  The email may say something line “We are having trouble delivering your shipment!”  If you are expecting a shipment, you will immediately be concerned.  If you are not expecting a shipment you may wonder why you are receiving a product when you didn’t order anything. This is probably a phishing email, but even if it isn’t look closely at the email.  It’s always best not click any links and simply go to your account directly through your browser.  If you don’t have an account with a specific store, such as Walmart, then you know it is more than likely a phishing email.  Report it to the company concerned then delete the email.

Amazon

Many people have an Amazon account.  You may get an email from Amazon asking for your to login to correct a problem.  This is more than likely phishing.  Do not login using the link in the mail. Go directly to your Amazon account from your browser to see if there are any issues.  Amazon also uses couriers and the same safety rules apply.  Amazon usually notifies online shoppers that a real shipment has been delivered to their door, but they will never put a link in that email and ask you to check on your shipment.  Forward all suspicious emails to Amazon at [email protected]

Additional Contacts to Report Phishing

If you have scrolled down to this bottom of this email looking for a company that is not listed above, below are are few safe links or email addresses to report a phishing attempt to that company. Reporting phishing is important so that collectively, we can work to shut down the hackers and scammers who are trying to steal personal information from millions of account holders around the world.

A Quick Review of What to Do When you Receive a Suspected Phishing email.

• Don’t click any link to login to your account.  Go directly to your account via your browser bookmark or by searching for it on Google.  If you don’t have an account related to the email, it’s probably a phishing attempt and you have nothing to worry about.
• Before deleting the phishing email, forward the email to the company the identity thieves are pretending to be.
• Report the phishing link to Google but be careful how you copy the link to paste it on Google’s reporting page. Never click the link.  Instead, right click on the link to copy the hyperlink. Then delete the email.
• When you forward a phishing email to any company, cc the email to the Anti-Phishing Working Group at [email protected]

Here are additional emails not written about above that you can report phishing emails to:

• eBay: [email protected]
• Chase:   [email protected]
• Microsoft:  [email protected]
• Comcast:  [email protected]
• WhatsApp:   Learn more about WhatsApp security issues.

Report Email as Phishing to Gmail

This image below shows you how to report amy phishing attempt that is sent to your Gmail. To access this, you need to be signed into the web version of your gmail account. Reporting these emails will help reduce phishing and spam emails to your Gmail, but you should also report emails to the company being spoofed.

To report phishing to Gmail follow the steps below.  1) On an open email, select the drop down menu on the top right. 2) Select Report Phishing.

About Google Account Security:  Since Google accounts only have one login to multiple website, including YouTube and the multiple apps within Google for Education, consider setting up Two Factor Authentication to protect your account.

Additional Resources

Make sure your computer is not infected with Malware because you clicked a phishing email, scan your computer and protect against future attacks.

Learn more about Phishing and the new ways hackers use to steal peoples personal information.  Read about Smishing (Text) and Vishing (Phone) Scams.