Federal and Local Government Officials Announce Memorandum of Understanding to Teach LAUSD Students about Cyber Safety

LOS ANGELES - The United States Attorney's Office is announcing today that it has joined a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) to provide cyber security training to LAUSD students, staff, and parents.

LAUSD is the second-largest school district in the nation, serving more than 600,000 students across more than 1,000 schools, and is the largest public school system in California. To combat child sexual exploitation, HSI and the USAO are joining forces to offer trainings to the LAUSD community about how to stay safe online. The program will focus on preteens and teenagers avoiding sexual dangers online, but can be tailored to younger children, staff, or parents. Dr. Alfonzo Webb, senior director at LAUSD, is the school district's representative for the MOU.

"Nothing is more important than protecting and uplifting our children," said United States Attorney Martin Estrada. "Our office often works with school and youth groups to discuss our work, introduce students to the justice system, and inspire kids to achieve success. We are proud to team up with LAUSD and HSI to expand on that work so that we can educate more young people about the dangers posed by the internet and social media and encourage students to pursue higher education - after all, knowledge is power."

"HSI has been at the forefront of investigating online crimes against children," said HSI Los Angeles Special Agent in Charge Eddy Wang. "This partnership with LAUSD and DOJ is taking a proactive approach to educating students and trusted adults about the dangers our children face online."

"This strategic partnership with the U.S. Attorney's Office and Homeland Security Investigations developed out of the need to ensure that our students, staff, and parents are educated on the latest and most effective online safety practices," said Senior Director of Climate Culture Alfonzo Webb. "By working together, we will provide age-appropriate presentations, resources, and guidance to help foster safer online environments for students."

HSI rolled out its revamped Project iGuardianLinks to other government and non-government sites will typically appear with the "external link" icon to indicate that you are leaving the Department of Justice website when you click the link. earlier this year. Project iGuardian is the official, in person educational program of Know2Protect, a national public awareness campaign sponsored by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to raise awareness about the rapidly escalating threat of online child sexual exploitation and abuse.

Know2ProtectLinks to other government and non-government sites will typically appear with the "external link" icon to indicate that you are leaving the Department of Justice website when you click the link., which launched in April 2024, leverages the investigative experience of HSI agents to "share information about the dangers of online environments, how to stay safe online, and how to report abuse and suspicious activity." Project iGuardian agents and staff "help kids stay safe online by providing safety tips, a number to call, and a website with links to more information and resources," according to the Know2Protect website.

HSI Los Angeles special agents, primarily from the Child Exploitation Investigations Group led by Supervisory Special Agent Jaclyn Jacobson, will offer the iGuardian trainings. HSI Los Angeles Assistant Special Agent in Charge Eugene Villanueva worked at HSI headquarters to revamp Project iGuardian and now shepherds the project in Los Angeles.

The USAO in Los Angeles is an active and avid participant in the Department of Justice's Project Safe Childhood (PSC), which combats child sexual exploitation through high impact prosecutions. Passionate about community outreach, former PSC Coordinators Catharine A. Richmond and Kellye M. Ng, both of the Violent and Organized Crime Section, spearheaded the MOU and will be the USAO's primary facilitators.

This initiative was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorney's Offices and the Justice Department's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.