Children’s Cove and Monomoy Regional School District Partner for Safety
Increased Online Risks of Crimes Against Children Met with Educational Safety Presentations Featuring Noted Speaker Richard Guerry
April 7th, 2025 (Cape Cod, Mass.) – Children’s Cove, The Cape & Islands Child Advocacy Center in partnership with Monomoy Regional School District, announced today a program to provide education for students and the community in online safety, “digital mindfulness” and the prevention of cyber cruelty.
Children’s Cove, a department of Barnstable County government, has seen an increase across the region in cases involving online facilitated crimes against children. At the same time, Monomoy Regional School District has also responded with greater frequency to issues involving students’ online activity as well as requests for education regarding safe online practices for both students and parents and caregivers.
“The rate at which technology is moving, and the extent younger students are getting internet-enabled devices, has placed us at a crossroads between adapting to technology, and the safety needs that come with it,” said Melissa Maguire, Director of Student Services at Monomoy School District. “The way we present this information to students also needs to adapt as well.”
“The risks to the children across our community keeps increasing proportionate to the greater access they have to the internet,” reports Jacob Stapledon, Community Engagement and Education Program Manager at Children’s Cove. “Whether it is gaming, social media, or even texting, the risks are there, and we need to address them.”
To address these risks, Children’s Cove and Monomoy Regional School District have partnered to bring in Richard Guerry, the Executive Director of The Institute for Responsible Online and Cell-Phone Communication (IROC2), to speak to students and the Monomoy community this month. Richard is the author of multiple cyber safety books and has been a featured speaker at numerous national and international conferences. He has also appeared as an expert on Radio Disney, CNN, FOX, CBS, MTV’s Thin Line Campaign, as well as in Parade Magazine and many local, regional, and international publications. Richard’s interactive presentations enable students and adults alike to understand the current trends, risks, and ways to improve their own safety.
Richard will be presenting to Monomoy Regional School District students in grades 3 through 7 over the course of two days, and providing a community presentation on April 15th at Monomoy Regional Middle School at 6:00pm.
“We have a responsibility to provide the education and resources to our community to provide a future where children are free from abuse,” says Stapledon, “Whether that is online or in-person. These conversations are critical.”
ABOUT CHILDREN’S COVE Children’s Cove, a department of Barnstable County, has been the Cape and the Island’s Children’s Advocacy Center since 1997. Children’s Cove provides coordinated and comprehensive multidisciplinary services to child victims of sexual abuse, physical abuse, witness to domestic violence and child sexual exploitation and trafficking. Learn more at: www.ChildrensCove.org
ABOUT MONOMOY REGIONAL SCHOOL DISTRICT Monomoy Regional School District encompasses the towns of Chatham and Harwich on Cape Cod, Massachusetts. The schools in our district are Chatham Elementary School, Harwich Elementary School, Monomoy Regional Middle School (located in Chatham) and Monomoy Regional High School (located in Harwich). Learn more at: www.monomoy.edu
ABOUT BARNSTABLE COUNTY REGIONAL GOVERNMENT OF CAPE COD: Barnstable County provides exemplary government functions and services to keep our community healthy and safe, promote sustainable growth, and offer a proactive, open government that enhances the quality of life for the citizens of Barnstable County. Learn more at www.capecod.gov
