Cyber Bullying
BOCES Staff Orientation
September 4, 2013
“www.fehb.org”
Dignity For All Students Act
The New York State “Dignity For All Students
Act” or “DASA” was signed into law on
September 13, 2010, and took effect on July 1,
2012. It was established with the legislative
intent to prevent harassment, bullying, and
discrimination in school.
Legislative Intent of the
Dignity For All Students Act
 Reduce the risk of compromising the student’s ability to learn and
participate in their educational setting.
 Promote a school environment that is free
of discrimination and harassment by school
staff or students.
 Foster civility, responsibility and
respect.
Amendment to DASA
 The New York State Legislature passed an
amendment to the Dignity for All Students Act to
specifically address Cyber Bullying not only within
schools but also incidents that occur off school
property that could "foreseeably disrupt" the
school environment.
 This amendment takes effect July 1, 2013 and will
make New York one of only 15 states that have
included the terminology of “Cyber Bullying" in
legislation about bullying.
What is Cyber Bullying?
 Cyber Bullying is the deliberate act that directly:
 Threatens, harasses, or intimidates
another individual.
 The individual fears for the safety of themselves or
their property.
 It creates a hostile environment for the victim.
Methods of Cyber Bullying
 Cyber Bullying includes the electronic aggression of bullying
or harassing an individual in:
Email Messages
Instant Messaging
Digital Pictures or Images
Website Posts/Blogs
Chat Room Exchanges
Text Messages
 Through the use of:
Tablets
Internet
Computers
Cell Phone
Smart Phones
Music and Media Players
And or any other methods and use of electronic devices that
sends, receives, stores, reproduces or displays voice and/or text
communication technology.
Forms of Cyber Bullying
 Bash Boards
 Denigration
 Exclusion
 Flaming
 Griefing
 Happy Slapping
 Harassment
 Images and Videos
 Impersonation
 Online Polls
 Outing
 Sending Malicious Code
 Sexting
 Text Wars or Attacks
 Trickery
Why Cyber Bullying is Different
Than Bullying
 Takes place 24/7.
 Invades home, personal space, and school environment.
 It can be conducted quickly and on a large scale.
 Can be done anonymously by setting up fake accounts.
 Bystanders become perpetrators by simply passing on the electronic message
or participating in conversations.
 Perpetrators may not fit the typical stereotype of bullies.
 Provides evidence; for example, emails, texts, photos, videos, etc.
 Perpetrator may not have considered the consequences of their behavior; the
incident may have been unintentional or a joke.
Effects of Cyber Bullying
Lose self-esteem, self-confidence, and sense of security.
Depression, anxiety, nervousness, and eating disorders.
Affects a student’s performance and attendance at school.
Experience mental and health problems.
Damages a student’s reputation and marginalizes them
in certain groups.
Leads to suicidal thoughts and suicide.
Victim retaliation against the
perpetrator.
Causes a life long affect to the victim.
Statistics and Facts on Cyber Bullying
Nearly 43% of kids have been bullied online. 1 in 4 has had it
happen more than once.
70% of students report seeing frequent bullying online.
Over 80% of teens use a cell phone regularly, making it the most
common medium for cyber bullying.
68% of teens agree that cyber bullying is a serious problem.
81% of young people think bullying online is easier to get away
with than bullying in person.
90% of teens who have seen social-media bullying say they have
ignored it. 84% have seen others tell cyber bullies to stop.
Statistics and Facts on Cyber Bullying
Only 1 in 10 victims will inform a parent or trusted adult of
their abuse.
Girls are about twice as likely as boys to be victims and
perpetrators of cyber bullying.
About 58% of kids admit someone has said mean or hurtful
things to them online. More than 4 out 10 say it has happened
more than once.
About 75% have visited a website bashing another student.
Bullying victims are 2 to 9 times more likely to consider
committing suicide.
“The psychological and emotional outcomes
of cyber bullying are similar to those of reallife bullying. The difference is, real-life
bullying often ends when
school ends. For cyber
bullying, there is no escape.
And, it’s getting worse.”
Sources:” Stopcyber bullying,InternetSafety101,StompOut Bullying,Endcyber bullying”
How Do Schools Respond?
 Create a school environment that is free from discrimination and
harassment by adopting a model policy, as outlined by DASA, to
prohibit bullying, cyber bullying, and harassment.
 Include anti-bullying and harassment policy in the Code of
Conduct that is clearly stated in an age- appropriate language .
 Under DASA regulations, a Dignity Act Coordinator has been
appointed for each building to handle instances of harassment
and discrimination.
 Train and provide school staff with guidelines to enable them to
prevent and respond to discrimination and harassment.
 Train students about honesty, tolerance, personal responsibility,
respect for others, observance of laws, courtesy, and dignity.
The Franklin-Essex-Hamilton BOCES Board of Education prohibits
any act of bullying, harassment, cyber bullying, hazing and so forth
through the use of any personal or BOCES owned, operated, and
supervised technological devices. These acts are inappropriate and
will not be tolerated on school grounds or at school sponsored events
or functions.
Franklin-Essex-Hamilton BOCES
Dignity for All Students Coordinators
North Franklin Educational Center:
Lorraine Childs
Phone: 483-5230
Email: lchilds@mail.fehb.org
Adirondack Educational Center:
Philip Beaney
Phone: 891-1330
Email: pbeaney@mail.fehb.org
Information available on the BOCES Website:
www.fehb.org
Bibliography

Dawson, C. (2013, 02 02). Why is cyber bullying different? Retrieved from
http://www.zdnet.com/blog/education/why-is-cyber bullying-different/3591

Do Something.org. 11 Facts about cyber bullying. Retrieved from http://www.dosomething.org/tipsandtools/11facts-about-cyber-bullying

Slentz, K. NY State Education Department, (2013). Amendment of sections 100.2(c), 100.2(l) & 119.6, and 100.2(kk) of
the commissioner's regulations, relating to the dignity for all students act. Retrieved from website:
http://www.regents.nysed.gov/meetings/2013Meetings

Stopbulling.gov. What is cyber bullying. Retrieved from http://www.stopbullying.gov/cyber bullying/what-isit/index.html

Teach Today. (2012). What are the effects of cyber bullying?. Retrieved from http://www.teachtoday.eu/en/Teacheradvice/cyber bullying.aspx