HBCSD Recognizes Digital Citizenship Week

How students across HBCSD are learning to use technology wisely, kindly, and safely

This week is Digital Citizenship Week, a time to celebrate the skills students need to navigate technology with confidence and care.  Across Huntington Beach City School District (HBCSD), it’s a moment to reflect on our shared commitment: helping every student become a thoughtful, responsible member of the digital world. For our District, digital citizenship is not a one-week event. It is woven into classrooms throughout the year, from kindergarten through eighth grade.

Every grade level in HBCSD participates in a series of digital citizenship lessons based on the Common Sense Education curriculum, a nationally recognized program designed specifically for young learners. Each lesson centers on a simple but meaningful question, and the topics grow with students. Our youngest learners explore what it means to go places safely online and how to find a healthy balance between screen time and time with family and friends. First graders learn to use an “Internet Traffic Light” to decide when a website or app is safe to visit. By upper elementary, students are learning what information is okay to share, how to keep online games fun and friendly, and what to do when someone uses hurtful words online. In middle school, the conversations deepen to include finding credible news, de-escalating online drama, standing up as an ally when cyberbullying happens, and protecting personal privacy.

The lessons are organized around six themes that reflect who we hope our students will be:

• We find balance in our digital lives 

• We care about everyone’s privacy 

• We define who we are

• We are kind and courageous 

• We know the power of words and actions 

• And we are critical thinkers and creators 

Together, they give students a common language for making good choices, whether they are researching a class project, chatting with friends, or creating something of their own. Teachers bring these lessons to life in full-length lessons and shorter options that fit naturally into the school day. 

This work is also part of a larger conversation happening across HBCSD about how we use technology. The District’s Apple technology rollout, made possible by Measure Q and now in its third year, has put iPads in students’ hands and opened new possibilities in classrooms. At Smith Elementary, second graders are turning their devices into portable movie studios, and students across grade levels are creating, collaborating, and sharing their voices in new ways. Alongside that work, HBCSD is taking the same thoughtful approach with artificial intelligence (AI). This month, the District launched its Strategic Artificial Intelligence Leadership (SAIL) working group, made up of nearly 50 teachers, staff, parents, and leaders. Meeting monthly through June, the group will develop clear District guidelines for both learning about AI and learning with it. All of that work rests on a human-first commitment: AI should support educators, never replace them.

As new tools continue to shape how students learn and how our teams work, the District is focused on using technology thoughtfully and efficiently, with safety always leading the way. That means choosing tools that truly support learning, protecting student information, and making sure students understand not just how to use technology, but how to use it well.

In keeping with this year’s theme, “Grounded and Growing,” digital citizenship gives students a strong foundation as technology continues to evolve around them. When students learn to pause and think before they click, question what they see, and treat others with kindness online, they build the Curiosity, Responsibility, and Resourcefulness that serve them in every part of their lives.

Families can help, too. Try using one of the questions from this year’s lessons to start a conversation at the dinner table: How do you feel when you use technology? What information about you is okay to share online? How can you tell if something you read online is true? Small conversations like these make a big difference.

Please join us in celebrating the students, teachers, and staff who are helping build a safer, kinder digital world.