Cyberbullying
Does Your School District Have the
Policies to Deal w/It?
Presented by
Bill Bond
Safe Schools Specialist
Sponsored by VALIC
bondb@nassp.org
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 & Intimidation
Harassment & Stalking
Deformation
Peer Rejection/Exclusion
Impersonation
Publicly 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 cyberspace
Devastation to victim
Disruption of learning environment
Safety and security of students
Individual free speech rights
Nexus 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”
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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.
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Kowalski vs. Berkeley Co. Schools
4th Circuit, 2011
The school district’s imposition of
sanctions was permissible for offcampus 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
safety
Students 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
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