Cyber Bullying: Taking a Stand (Part Two)

It is clear to everyone that cyber bullying must be addressed. We must let our students know that it will not be tolerated. However, some schools have been running into legal problems when they have tried to protect their students. Some schools have taken a stand and disciplined students for cyber bullying. However, because the actions were taken off school grounds and outside of school hours, these schools have been sued for exceeding their authority and for violating the student's First Amendment right to freedom of speech. The schools have lost these lawsuits.

So what can we as parents and teachers do about this? First, I found a recommendation for schools on www.stopcyberbullying.org. They suggested that the schools add a policy in their handbook regarding cyber bullying and the school's ability to discipline the students. Their policy should say that the school has the right to discipline any actions taken outside of school grounds and/or hours if they effect a student's safety and well-being at school in a negative manner. According to the website, this changes the issue from a constitutional issue to a contractual issue, protecting the schools from further lawsuits.

All teachers should be aware of cyber bullying. As a future teacher and as a mother, I believe that we as teachers need to become more educated in the area of cyber bullying. We will not be able to stop it from happening and protect our students from something that we know little to nothing about.

Schools have workshops and classes focused on stopping bullying in the schools. I feel that all teachers and students should have to participate in workshops regarding how to stop cyber bullying. Teachers and students should be aware of the laws regarding this subject. Any teacher wanting to use a tool such as blogs should also go over with their students what is acceptable and what is unacceptable. Also, when we assign our students something that they need to use a technological tool, we need to make sure we are aware of what is going on. I realize we are unable to monitor the student's personal accounts at home. However, we need to make sure we are monitoring any of the tools they are using for the classroom. We need to educate ourselves as well as our students if we plan to make sure the wonderful tools given to us by technology are safely used by all.

Also, we should all be aware of what to do once cyber bullying begins to occur. There are support groups, hotlines, and websites devoted to helping any student who is suffering from cyber bullying or has suffered from it in the past. They teach the students how to deal with being bullied and the proper way to respond to it. Students can report any abuse or bullying to a parent, a teacher, or the service provider. Bullies can lose their ISP or IM accounts because they violated the service agreement.

The most important thing we can do is make sure our students know they need to speak out. This behavior is unacceptable and will not be tolerated. We need to make sure we are educated about the topics and know how to handle these situations. Then we must make sure our students know what they can do if they see this happening or it happens to them. It is a serious problem that needs to be addressed. Parents, teachers, and school administrators all must band together to make sure students feel safe and secure at school and that no other teens lose their lives over something that can be prevented.