Sherman ISD hosted its first Bearcat Parent Academy event on April 30 to promote student safety online.
Bearcat Parent Academy is a series of educational events designed to provide families with information and resources on a variety of topics that reinforce healthy behaviors and promote student success.
Sherman ISD hosted Parenting in a Digital World, a free panel discussion event, on Tuesday, April 30 from 6-7 p.m. in the Sherman High School Auditorium, 2907 West Travis Street. Parents and family members of students in PK-12 learned about current technology trends, how to protect their children and monitor their online activity.
Topics discussed include online safety and laws, privacy and personal information, pornography, human trafficking and stranger danger, and more.
Due to the nature of content presented, no children under the age of 12 were allowed in the auditorium.
Panelists included:
Sierra Moore has been in law enforcement for 10 years. She is currently an Internet Crimes Against Children Investigator with the Grayson County Sheriff’s Office and a member of the North Texas Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force.
Summer Junior works as the Development and Outreach Coordinator at the Grayson County Children’s Advocacy Center, where she coordinates and delivers prevention education programs for children and adults across Grayson County. She works directly with young people who have experienced abuse, and has been committed for the past 8 years to preventing child abuse and promoting personal safety.
Heath Wester has been the Chief of Police for the Sherman ISD Police Department since 2021. Before coming to SISD, he served as a Lieutenant for the Grayson County Sheriff’s Office, where he led the Criminal Investigations Division, and worked as a Criminal Investigations detective for Grand Prairie Police Department. Wester values the relationships his department builds with students and families and is committed to keeping Sherman schools safe and secure.
Alinda Maxwell currently teaches In-School Suspension at Piner Middle School. She has lived in Sherman for 35 years and graduated from the Austin College Teacher Program in 1994. She also owns and operates Maxwell’s Tae Kwon Do. Her husband is a retired Piner teacher and their children all attended Sherman schools. Maxwell says she has seen firsthand the dangers of online predators.
