Sunday, April 22, 2012

Cyber Bullying


Just today, Liz Bowie, a writer for the Baltimore Sun newspaper, wrote an article entitledSchools, parents try to keep pace with cyber-bullying tactics”. This article discusses Maryland’s agreement to be amongst the many states which include online harassment in its anti-bullying laws.

In Maryland, nearly 4,700 cases of bullying, harassment, and intimidation was reported last school year. The number of cases is increasing tremendously due to the fact that cyber-bullying can be done at any time. Unless students make staff, parents, and other administrators aware, they will have no idea that bullying is taking place.

“The consequences of cyber-bullying resounded in Maryland after the Easter Sunday suicide of 15-year-old Grace McComas. Her parents said the sophomore at Glenelg High School in Howard County took her life after months of being victimized online. "This incident underscores the 21st-century bully, equipped with a cell phone and a Facebook, is a constant source of torment for our kids.” writes Bowie. So what is Maryland’s plan? Maryland will now increase its efforts to protect students by adopting The Safe Schools Improvement Act. This act ties anti-bullying policies to federal funding. It would require schools to have a code that prohibits the conduct, on or off school grounds. It also increases preventative measures and sets new reporting standards. To decrease the spread of cyber-bullying in Baltimore, In May, Baltimore County and Baltimore City students will also be able to attend an anti-bullying conference led by Ravens running back Ray Rice and Howard County Councilman Calvin Ball.

One of my suggestions would be for Baltimore to follow the state of New Jersey’s anti-bullying law. It is considered to be the most progressive in the country. Jersey requires all schools to have an in-house anti-bullying specialist. If our budget is in no shape to accommodate this position, hopefully it can be presented to the staff in a manner which encourages teachers and staff to take on such responsibilities without a large increase in pay. As technology continues to grow, students will only find other ways of bullying one another unless they are made aware of the affects bullying has on others. Students must also be taught to be empathetic. Lastly, students and parents should be made to sign an agreement stating that he/she is aware of the consequences which may occur if bullying, of any kind, is proven. To ultimately decrease cyber-bullying in Maryland, this must be a communal effort. Cyber-bullying must be addressed with students at school as well as at home.

2 comments:

robglot said...

I see the affects of bullying in my classroom and hear many stories of unfortunate circumstances that have taken place across Baltimore City way too often. Even though I have adopted a zero-tolerance policy for bullying in my classroom, it is difficult to keep it under wraps through out the school and outside of school.

With middle school students using Facebook, where the lines of reality are blurred for young adolescents, students are either bullying students without seeing the impact due to a lack of face-to-face interaction, or they a knowingly doing it to bother students in any way possible. Unfortunately, cyber bullying impacts students online, at home, and in school.

As educators, we take responsibility for student behavior in our school, but many times this year, fights have started at my school due to things said or posted on Facebook. Despite all of my good intentions, I cannot stop an argument or bullying that I am unaware of. Even though in a few instances parents have told me that I should not sit students near each other because of online problems, many parents are unaware of the problem as well.

With the release of Bully, I hope that educators, schools and parents see the importance of talking about bullying issues to prevent catastrophic outcomes such as mental illness or even suicide. I want every child to feel safe at school, and in order for them to feel safe, students have to know that bullying is unacceptable in real life and on the Internet.

Preston said...

It would be great to have some legislation on cyber bulling. But then we get to the issue of enforcement. There are two problems with this.

First, there is no way an one person or task force can monitor enough cyber bullies with the limited budget of the school district. Let us not mention there is a limited ability to track students activity thanks to unlimited , untraceable , internet access.

Second there is already legislation about student attendance and we all see what is being done to enforce that.

I don't want to sound all gloom and doom so ill say this, our best line of defense in this is to inundate our kids with positive experiences. We must be ever vigilant and mindful in seeking out potential victims of bullying, and offer them as much support as possible.