Seasoned school administrators and K-12 educators, however, know that there is a wide range of disasters and offenses that can impact school safety. One of the newest offenses is referred to, as “The Silent Tormentor” has become a major issue that schools throughout the state and beyond, are scurrying to find ways to address.
Educators know that one of the hardest behaviors to identify and control with consistency is bullying, and even harder when technology enters the equation. Consider that when a definition is given to “bullying”, the perception of the receiver and the intention of the deliverer are at its root. Additionally, bullying can be physical, verbal and emotional. It is because of the ambiguity in its meaning that many states have not adopted anti-bullying laws.
In the past, “school-yard bullying” was confined to the school, during school hours. This limited such intimidation to a place with a timeframe and a face. But, in the last couple of decades, the schoolroom has expanded exponentially with the addition of the Internet.
This generation has grown up in a cyber-society and has developed an adult-free environment for communication and socialization. For some, this anonymity lends power to them because they are distanced from their victim, which leads to less empathy and a diminishment of remorse.
Instant messaging, chat rooms and blogs have taken the place of name-calling, note passing and the bathroom wall. It is the same harassing communication, but the audience is unlimited and the intimidating follows victims to their homes and even around the world.
Although cyber-bullying is clearly unacceptable behavior, it had not been on my top-ten list of disciplinary problems at school either. Then, I started searching the Internet for resources. I typed in cyber-bullying and suicide. A YouTube video started on my computer. (www.youtube.com True Effects of Cyber-Bullying 201: They Committed Suicide) A picture of eight teenagers opened the video and as names, dates and family photos appeared on the screen of suicide victims, “Wanda’s Song, (If you were me)” by The Readings began to play. The lyrics are as follows:
Why, do you hurt me, and treat me like you do
What have I ever done to deserve this from you
Would you do the things you do
If you were me and I were you
Looking back I see the pain that we put Wanda thru
And just where all the fun and games were leading
We didn't realize the damage sticks and stones would do
Cuz’ it was deep inside Wanda was bleeding
(http://www.bullyinginstitute.org/bbstudies/wanda.html)
Ryan Patrick Halligan took his own life as a result of cyber-bullying. The young boy’s father pleads for other parents to read and learn from his family’s tragedy. www.ryanpatrickhalligan.
A 2004 i-Safe survey includes some alarming percentages relating to the way students communicate online:
- 58% of kids admit someone has said mean or hurtful things to them online.
- 53% of kids admit having said something mean or hurtful to another online.
- 42% of kids have been bullied while online.
- 58% of kids have not told their parents or any adult about anything mean or hurtful that had happened to them on-line.
Just as with so many other safe school initiatives, awareness is only the first stage of addressing cyber-bullying. Several steps follow including the development of a plan of action and implementation.
Combating the Cyber-Bully
Few schools have policies to combat cyber-bullying.
The following list is offered for consideration when seeking ways to address cyber-bullying at school.
Faculties, staffs and students should be made aware of cyber-bullying and its dangers. Students should be advised never to exchange pictures or personal information on-line and not to send messages when they are angry. They should be taught to delete messages from people that they do not know. Parents should also be educated on this topic. School principals should consider planning a parent night or writing an article in the school’s newsletter to keep parents up-to-date on the school’s progress in this regard.
- Handbook or Conduct Policies
Consider ensuring that cyber-bullying is defined in the student handbook and that consequences are clearly articulated for anyone who engages in such behavior.
Closely monitor students’ computer use, as well as other technology such as cell phones. (If cell phones are permitted at school, ensure usage limitations.)
In Kentucky, each school has free access to filtering technology. (SB230 – 1998 General Assembly) Filtering software uses keywords to block specific sites.
Most search engines also have safety filters that can be set. Kid-friendly search engines such as Yahooligans or Ask Jeeves for Kids are examples.
- Investigate Reports of Cyber-Bullying in a Timely Manner
Staff should consider giving priority to this behavior. It will send a strong message to the students and faculty that bullying and cyber-bullying will not be tolerated.
- School administrators are obligated to take action when cyber-bullying occurs through the school district’s Internet system. However, if the cyber bullying occurs off-campus, consider a plan that will help to address it before it occurs:
- Notify parents of victims and cyber-bullies.
- Notify the police if the known or suspected cyber-bullying involves a threat.
- Closely monitor the behavior of the affected students at school.
- Talk with all students about the harms caused by cyber-bullying. Remember, cyber-bullying that occurs off-campus can travel like wildfire among students and affect how they behave and relate to each other at school.
- Make school counselors or school-based mental health professionals available to the victim.
- Contact the police immediately if known or suspected cyber-bullying involves acts such as:
- Threats of violence
- Extortion
- Obscene or harassing phone calls or text messages
- Harassment, stalking, or hate crimes
- Child pornography ”
www.stopbullyingnow.hrsa.gov U.S. Department of Health and Human Resources
- Provisions for AUP’s were also outlined in the 1998 Senate Bill 230. Every school must have a student and faculty AUP and parents must acknowledge the Internet’s usage at school by written consent. Accountability must be tied to Internet usage in order for schools to receive funding from the Kentucky Department of Education for technology purchases.
- AUPs are designed to
- Educate parents about their children's use of the Internet
- Educate students about:
- Risks peculiar to computer communication
- Rules for efficient, ethical, legal computer/network use
- Safe and appropriate computer social behavior
- Use of available and unavailable services
- Preserve digital materials created by students and teachers
- Protect vulnerable children from inappropriate approaches
- Discourage children from making inappropriate personal disclosures
- Encourage ethical behavior, and discourage criminal behavior
- Encourage accepted “Netiquette” from the very start
- Encourage polite and civil communication
- Encourage individual integrity and honesty
- Encourage respect for others and their private property
- Allow enforcement of necessary rules of behavior
- Protect the school networking equipment and software from danger
- Help improve network efficiency www.isafe.org
The i-Safe K-12 curriculum and community outreach programs to parents, law enforcement and community leaders. It is the only Internet safety foundation to combine these elements. Lessons teach
- Cyber-Citizenship
- Personal Safety
- Cyber- Security
- Intellectual Property
- Cyber-Bullying
- Predator Identification” (www.isafe.org)
Woodford County Schools use the i-Safe curriculum at all grade levels starting with kindergarten. The belief is that starting children on the Internet at a young age will help combat cyber-bullying as students will learn “netiquette” early and it will therefore become a routine with them to use it properly.
- Sample Work-shop Agenda on Cyber-Bullying
- Consider beginning with the You Tube video on Cyber Bullying and Suicide.
- Show the Ryan Halligan website and family photos.
- After a short pause, review the bulleted list above with faculty and discuss.
- Develop a policy to combat cyber-bullying in a school in a comprehensive organized manner. (Be mindful that being pro-active about this issue may save a precious life.)
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