CyberbullyingDoes Your School District Have the

Policies to Deal w/It?

Presented by

Bill BondSafe Schools SpecialistSponsored by VALICbondb@nassp.org

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VIDEO

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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

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Four Criteria for Bullying

1) Imbalance of power

2) Repeated often

3) One student is humiliated by behavior

4) The other student enjoys the humiliation

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Expectations the most powerful element in Education: negative or positive

Don’t label a student a “bully”

Focus on behavior of the student and results and effects.

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Forms of Cyberbullying

Threats & IntimidationHarassment & StalkingDeformationPeer Rejection/ExclusionImpersonationPublicly posting private information or images

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In 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”

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Cyberspace

Limitless numbers can view

Lasts forever

Spreads at light speed

Virtual with live pictures

Little supervision

Always present

No refuge

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When 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

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Cyberbullying or Cyber-bashing

Do schools have the responsibility to police misbehavior by students for “off-campus speech?”

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Schools 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

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Preventing 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.

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When Reported:

Preserve and print the evidence

Investigate

Support the victim

Apply consequences

Contain the incident

If the law was broken, involve police.

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Challenges for School Districts

Occurs in cyberspaceDevastation to victimDisruption of learning environmentSafety and security of studentsIndividual free speech rightsNexus to school

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All 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

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Tinker vs. Des Moines ISD

“School has to demonstrate that the speech resulted in a substantial interference with the educational environment or right of others”

Tinker v. (1969)

While students retain significant first amendment rights in the school context, their rights are not coextensive with those of adults.

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Hazelwood v Kuhlmeier

a US Supreme Court found that school districts can impose restrictions on first admendment student speech for educational purposes

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Beussink 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.

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Frederick vs. Morse

US Supreme Court found “Bong Hits 4 Jesus” could be viewed as promoting illegal drug use, and not offensive speech.

Kowalski vs. Berkeley Co. Schools4th Circuit, 2011

The school district’s 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.

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Kowalski v. (2011)

It was foreseeable in this case that Kowalski’s 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

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These 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.

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Federal Title II Technology Funds

Use of E-Rate funds require schools to have a Cyberbullying policy in place and instruction in internet safetyStudents should be told in advance that there is no expectation of privacy and that use of the district system can be monitored.

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Make it Easy to Report Cyberbullying

Confidentiality

Anonymously

Save Cyberbullying Evidence

Print out messages or pictures

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Recommended Websites

Cyberbullying.org

Bullypolice.org

bjparis.org

Cyberbullying.us

Bullycide.org

Stopbullyingnow.gov

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VALIC

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 @WWW.NASSP.ORG or call Bill Bond 1-800-253-7746 ext. 357