ASPIRA of New York has launched a bilingual website dedicated to promoting safety and security online.

The website, Cafe Aspira, covers malicious programs, discusses cyberbullyingand identifies various types of cyber child sex offenders and their methods.

The site also features a section on cyber fraud, covering phishing, credit card scams and identity theft schemes.

Café Aspira provides advice and links to resources about keeping safe, as well as what to do if victimized.

“Café Aspira is a tool for becoming cyber savvy and understanding how to avoid being the victim of a cyber predator, bully or fraud,” said Magda Yrizarry, chair of ASPIRA of New York’s board of directors.

“Café Aspira will help answer questions about online security and be a source for advice on how to safely navigate the Web.”

ASPIRA: Extend Mayoral Control of Schools

At a recent hearing on governance of the New York City school system, ASPIRA urged state legislators to leave the mayor in charge of public schools.

ASPIRA Executive Director Hector Gesualdo argued in his testimony that, before the mayor was put in charge of schools, “local control” had “for decades mired the school system in petty politics, corruption and widespread academic failure, particularly in minority communities. “Is everything perfect?” Gesualdo asked.

“Far from it. Department of Education data show that nearly 40 percent of Latinos drop out of school. And clearly communication between the Department of Education and parents needs to improve.

" However, Gesualdo added, “it’s also clear that, when there’s accountability at the top of the system, it’s far better for kids than when there’s deniability throughout the system.

” To read Gesualdo’s testimony, see the Winter 2009 edition of ASPIRAtions. To see who else is supporting mayoral control of New York City schools, visit the Learn NY website.

To let your legislators know you want to keep mayoral control of schools, click here.