May 2008 — Security
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The Fight Against Cyberbullying
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In an i-Safe study, 11 percent of high school students said they had been "cyberstalked"- cyberbullied more than once by the same person.
Though Lea notes that Illinois case law very clearly draws its own lines in disciplining infractions such as cyberbullying and intimidation, the district's incorporation of online behavior into its conduct codes was an effort to make sure students knew "they were being held accountable for their behavior online," he says. He adds that the last thing a district wants to hear after a child has been disciplined is that the student or parent wasn't aware that there were conduct and discipline standards in place.
"Our policy is really about communicating to everyone that there are consequences for one's actions," Lea says. "We worked closely with legal counsel to ensure we stayed within the bounds of the First Amendment. But in rewriting our conduct policy, we were hoping to create more of a dialogue between teachers, students, and parents about what is appropriate behavior online."
Recognizing the everpresence of cyberbullying, Charlotte- Mecklenburg Schools revised its student conduct code so that, like District 128's code, it now covers computer use outside the school. "A big problem is that kids are left at home with full access to a computer and no supervision," Detective Lynch says. "There's very little difference between that and giving a 14-yearold the keys to the car and no instruction on how to drive it."
The cyberstalking law under which the Providence High student was charged is relatively new in North Carolina and hasn't been used much. The statute makes it illegal to electronically communicate false statements about indecent conduct or criminal conduct with the intent to abuse, annoy, threaten, terrify, harass, or embarrass.
Lynch explains that all the new digital technologies and the emergence of social networking sites offer bullies an abundance of opportunities to make trouble. MySpace, Facebook, and Bebo pose the greatest risk to students, since they pose the easiest access for would-be cyberbullies. But Lynch adds that all of the new Web 2.0 tools pose a threat. "Kids text-message to bully each other, send e-mails," he says. "I had a female student post another female student's cell phone number on a prostitution website, and she was flooded with calls from men across the country.
"I tell kids, especially girls, you're going to go through more best friends than you can shake a stick at in high school. Don't give out your passwords to anyone."
Lynch also promotes the idea of teaching students accountability, adding, "The first thing I tell them is, 'Anything you put online is public.' I see it as a way to prevent them from getting into any further trouble.
"We certainly don't have a problem with kids getting online and having a group discussion. But the days of simply keeping an online journal are long over."
Chris Riedel is a freelance writer based in Sanford, FL.
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