Title: Cyberbullying Does Your School District Have the Policies to Deal w/It?
1CyberbullyingDoes Your School District Have the
Policies to Deal w/It?
- Presented by
- Bill Bond
- Safe Schools Specialist
- Sponsored by VALIC
- bondb_at_nassp.org
2VIDEO
3 Is it Bullying or Joking Around?
- Bullying is an aggressive behavior that intends
to cause harm, distress, and HUMILIATION - It can be physical, spoken word, or electronic if
a reasonable student would expect it to reach the
school and its students
4Four Criteria for Bullying
- 1) Imbalance of power
- 2) Repeated often
- 3) One student is humiliated by behavior
- 4) The other student enjoys the humiliation
5Expectations the most powerful element in
Education negative or positive
- Dont label a student a bully
- Focus on behavior of the student and results and
effects.
6Forms of Cyberbullying
- Threats Intimidation
- Harassment Stalking
- Deformation
- Peer Rejection/Exclusion
- Impersonation
- Publicly posting private information or images
7In a Virtual World
- Power is not needed
- Anonymous
- Little fortitude needed
- No physiological effect
- No physical effect
- No negative peer reaction
- No enough is enough
8Cyberspace
- Limitless numbers can view
- Lasts forever
- Spreads at light speed
- Virtual with live pictures
- Little supervision
- Always present
- No refuge
9When is Cyberspace a School Issue?
- Cyber-bashing is an issue when it
- disrupts learning
- compromises the values of the school
- becomes obscene
- uses school owned technology
10Cyberbullying or Cyber-bashing
- Do schools have the responsibility to police
misbehavior by students for off-campus speech?
11Schools Need to Have in Place
- Acceptable use policies
- Internet use contract
- Cell phone use policy
- Informal partnerships with parents on technology
use and policies - Code of Conduct Electronic Bullying Policy on or
off campus
12Preventing Cyberbullying Takes a Whole School
Approach
- Raising awareness between students, parents, and
teachers. - Keeping digital policies updated.
- Making reporting of Cyberbullying easy for
students to do. - Evaluate and survey results.
13When Reported
- Preserve and print the evidence
- Investigate
- Support the victim
- Apply consequences
- Contain the incident
- If the law was broken, involve police.
14Challenges for School Districts
- Occurs in cyberspace
- Devastation to victim
- Disruption of learning environment
- Safety and security of students
- Individual free speech rights
- Nexus to school
15All States except MT have anti-bullying laws
- From 1999 to 2011, 130 bills directed towards
bullying have become state law. - 37 states prohibit cyberbullying in their
education code, - 13 states specify that schools have jurisdiction
over off-campus bullying behavior if it creates a
hostile school environment
16Tinker vs. Des Moines ISD
- School has to demonstrate that the speech
resulted in a substantial interference with the
educational environment or right of others
17Tinker v. (1969)
- While students retain significant first amendment
rights in the school context, their rights are
not coextensive with those of adults.
18Hazelwood v Kuhlmeier
- a US Supreme Court found that school districts
can impose restrictions on first admendment
student speech for educational purposes
19Beussink vs. Woodland R-4 School District
- US District Court found students use of vulgar
language about school and faculty on an
off-campus website was protected by the first
amendment because it was not materially
disruptive.
20Frederick vs. Morse
- US Supreme Court found Bong Hits 4 Jesus could
be viewed as promoting illegal drug use, and not
offensive speech.
21Kowalski vs. Berkeley Co. Schools4th Circuit,
2011
- The school districts imposition of sanctions was
permissible for off-campus speech on Facebook. It
was sufficiently connected to the school, and
substantially interfered with orderly operation
of the school and the other students rights.
22Kowalski v. (2011)
- It was foreseeable in this case that Kowalskis
poor conduct on the internet would reach the
school via computers or smartphones. - Where speech has a sufficient nexus with the
school, the constitution is not written to hinder
school administrators, good faith efforts to
address the problem
23These Are Not Consequences for Students
- Contacting parents of the students involved.
- Notifying internet host or cell phone carrier.
- If threats are involved, notify law enforcement.
24Federal Title II Technology Funds
- Use of E-Rate funds require schools to have a
Cyberbullying policy in place and instruction in
internet safety - Students should be told in advance that there is
no expectation of privacy and that use of the
district system can be monitored.
25Make it Easy to Report Cyberbullying
- Confidentiality
- Anonymously
- Save Cyberbullying Evidence
- Print out messages or pictures
26Recommended Websites
- Cyberbullying.org
- Bullypolice.org
- bjparis.org
- Cyberbullying.us
- Bullycide.org
- Stopbullyingnow.gov
27VALIC
- Thank you for attending the session today! I
welcome the opportunity to bring this topic and
others related to school safety to your school
district and can be Sponsored by VALIC - For a list of topics or to schedule a
presentation please visit the NASSP Website
_at_WWW.NASSP.ORG or call Bill Bond 1-800-253-7746
ext. 357