What Can Schools Do About Cyber Bullying?
Prior to implementing a program or strategy to prevent cyber bullying, it is important for school personnel to consult with legal counsel.
By Sindie Spencer Kennedy, Montana Safe Schools Center
Given the pervasiveness of cyber bullying,
schools are in a position to proactively
address the occurrence of cyber
bullying in their schools or districts.
Nancy Willard, of the Center for Safe and
Responsible Internet Use (http://www.csriu.org), urges school officials to consider
their “authority” and “responsibility”
in responding to cyber bullying. In her
2007 article “The Authority and Responsibility
of School Officials in Responding
to Cyberbullying” in the Journal of
Adolescent Health, Willard stresses that,
“This new phenomenon raises concerns
for school officials regarding the extent of
their legal authority and responsibility,”
especially considering that this is new territory
without extensive case law to inform
decision making.
Some of the steps that school officials can
take to address cyber bullying include:
• Involve students in identifying cyber
bullying problems at the school or
district level.
• Develop a youth internet safety team
at the school or district level.
• Adopt bullying prevention policies
and programs that include lessons on
cyber bullying.
• Require that teachers, parents, and
students read and sign a policy that
outlines students’ acceptable use of
technology.
• Provide educational materials or training
for parents and students on Internet
safety and cyber bullying.
• Ensure that cellular phone policies
are enforced consistently.
• Involve students in developing
Internet responsibility guidelines for
classrooms.
• Develop a mentoring program for
high school students to teach younger
students about Internet safety.
Although many schools have taken steps
to prevent students from accessing certain
Web sites or from using their cell phones
on school grounds, many students know
how to bypass firewalls and they also
can ignore phone policies. In addition to
monitoring the technology, educators can
engage students in conversations about
appropriate online behavior. Many students
are more tech-savvy than adults; by
leveraging that expertise to better understand
how students are using technology,
adults may find their students can be a
part of the solution to online bullying. 
|
