Cyberbullying and School Policies

Are schools failing students by not seriously addressing issues of cyber bullying and online etiquette?

Introduction

In recent years, people’s reliance on the Internet has become has significantly increased. From checking the weather every morning to researching information for work or school, most people have incorporated worldwide web into their daily lives – not just for adults but for children too. According to Nielsen (2009), in May 2009, approximately 16 million U.S. children ages 2 to 11 years old were active online, totaling 9.5 percent of the overall online audience. Although the Internet is an invaluable resource when it comes to educational offerings, social networking and has become a major outlet for teenagers to communicate with friends and family. Most teenagers use social networking as a way to build popularity, maintain friendships and create new ones (Gross, 2004), however, social networking also opens up the door to the misuse of technology. The anonymity of the Internet allows children to say or do things they wouldn’t normally do in real life. In other words, despite the great capabilities of the Internet, it also allows children to engage in a new form of bullying, known as cyberbullying, which has become a major problem in today’s society. Cyberbullying is being cruel to others by sending or posting harmful material or engaging in other forms of social cruelty using the Internet or other digital technologies. It has various forms, including direct harassment and indirect activities that are intended to damage the reputation or interfere with the relationships of the student targeted, such as posting harmful material, impersonating the person, disseminating personal information or images, or activities that result in exclusion (Willard, 2007). Demographics connected with physical bullying as far as grade levels are concerned; typically sixth graders are more likely to be victims of physical bullying than seventh or eighth graders (Sbarbaro, 2011) Although cyberbullying is a relatively new phenomenon, it has major negative effects on the emontional and physical state of many children. Most people are well aware of traditional bullying in schools throughout the world, but the infancy and lack of research on cyberbullying is causing a growing problem for school officials because this act of bullying usually takes place outside of school. The alarming reports and incidents of cyberbulling are becoming quite common. In a survey of 1,500 students of fourth and eighth graders, 42% had been bullied online, 35% had been threatened, 58% had hurtful things said to them, 53% admitted to saying hurtful things to others, and 58% didn’t tell an adult (i-Safe America, 2004). Many times, Cyberbullying can be more devastating than traditional bullying because children cannot escape their bullies by going to a safe environment; instead they are ridiculed in front of a much larger audience – anyplace and at any time (McClung, 2006). While information and incidents are becoming more common knowledge, there is limited research to figure out the best way to deal with it. The recent rise in teenage suicide has led America to pay more attention to the affects of cyberbullying. Following the suicide of Kenneth James Weishuhn, a gay 14-year-old student in Iowa, numerous commentators called for stricter guidelines and school policies regarding cyberbullying. Weishuhn hanged himself in his family 's garage after he endured weeks of bullying in school and on the Internet once he told his classmates he was gay (Schmidt, n.d; Iowa City Patch, 2012). Unfortunately, stories similar to that of Kenneth Weishuhn are becoming more common for teens. Although most cases of cyberbullying don’t end up in suicide, the negative effects are evolving to more severe issues, and school officials need to find more effective ways to address these problems to help their students (Willard, 2007). The survey research method was used to quantitatively explore what cyberbullying policies are being employed by principals and school officials across the country as well as the effects of this has on children.
Problem Statement The problem regarding cyberbullying in schools is the question about the appropriateness of a formal disciplinary response. The lack of sound research results in school officials to not have a firm grasp on how to effectively deal with the problem. It is essential to understand that while most harmful online interactions occurs off-campus, personal interactions between the bully and victim occur at school. It is this combination of online harm and on-campus interactions that presents significant concerns and risks for the safety of the students (Willard, 2007). As the popularity of social networking continues to rise, so does the opportunity for mishandling of this technology. Research suggests that the effects of cyberbullying are very similar to those of traditional bullying. As stated previously, although cyberbullying normally occurs outside of school hours, schools now have a vested interest in dealing with this issue because of the major implications and stresses these acts have on students during school.

Purpose of Study A set of core questions were asked to the survey population of administrators, teachers and technology coordinators to measure changes in perceptions and attitudes as well as practices in schools and classrooms.

Research Design and Methodology Zogby/463 (2011) surveyed a statistically relevant sample of administrators (principals and superintendents), teachers and technology coordinators at K-12 private and public schools across the United States. For the study, Zogby/463 surveyed 1,012 teachers, 200 technology coordinators, and 402 school administrators (325 principals and 77 superintendents) in January and February 2011, using a research design of online surveys and telephone interviews.
The teachers group subsample had a margin of error of +/- 3.1 percentage points, technology coordinators subsample a margin of error of +/- 7.1 percentage points, and school administrators subsample had a margin of error of +/- 5.0 percentage points.

Sample Survey Questions 1) Level of agreement - Cyberethics, Cybersafety, and Cybersecurity curriculum should be taught in schools.

|Agree |Disagree | |
| |Strongly |Somewhat |Overall |Strongly |Somewhat |Overall |Not Sure |
|Teachers |55% |36% |91% |4% |1% |5% |4% |
|Administrators |82% |15% |97% |1% |1% |2% |2% |
|Technology Coordinators |85% |14% |99% |1% |0% |1% |1% |

2) Level of agreement - My school/school district does an adequate job of preparing students regarding Cyberethics, online safety, and computer security issues.

|Agree |Disagree | |
| |Strongly |Somewhat |Overall |Strongly |Somewhat |Overall |Not Sure |
|Teachers |11% |40% |51% |25% |16% |41% |9% |
|Administrators |38% |43% |81% |12% |4% |16% |3% |
|Technology Coordinators |36% |45% |81% |10% |6% |16% |4% |

Literature Review Children today are being raised in an Interned-dependent world where online interaction is often the preferable and primary way in which they interact with each other (Hinduja & Patchin, 2009). While the use of social media is intended to be harmless, there is an evident aspect of negativity growing among the use of children. Cyberbullying has become a major discussion across America, even garnering attention from President Obama’s Bullying Prevention campaign due to serious threat to the social and emotional development of children (Raskauskas & Stoltz, 2007). Schools these days are confronted with complex questions on whether and how to deal with cyberbullying (Belsey, 2006) Concerned with cyberspace’s escalation of adolescent cruelty, many parents are looking to schools for justice, protection, even revenge but many educators feel unprepared (Hoffman, 2010). Despite the typical off-campus nature of these acts, cyberbullying has come to the attention of teachers, administrators and counselors because of the impact the online bullying has on the school grounds. This review of literature provides an in-depth look at what research on cyberbullying currently exists and ways schools can combat the problem. There continues to be a debate over who has jurisdiction in dealing with instances of cyberbullying. Most believe that schools are obligated to address the issue since these online acts usually play out in school (Feinberg & Robey, 2009). Ever since Tinker v. Des Moines Independent Community School District (1969), the Supreme Court 's First Amendment decisions have granted the schools authority to discipline student speech that causes, or reasonably threatens, (1) "substantial disruption of or material interference with school activities", or (2) "collision with the rights of other students to be secure and to be let alone". To fulfill their "basic educational mission", school authorities may also discipline cyberbullying that compromises efforts to teach "the boundaries of socially appropriate behavior", "habits and manners of civility" and respect for "the sensibilities of fellow students" (Abrams, 2011). Although school administrators are becoming more familiar with cyberbullying and its effects, many are still confused as to how to respond when incidents are actually reported to them. Although suspension, expulsion, or police involvement are rarely the most appropriate reaction, school officials are encourage to act in a swift manner (Hinduja & Patchin, 2009). Instructing students to turn a computer or cell phone off are realistic so schools need to implement written policies that systematically outline a consistent approach to dealing with these problems (Hinduja & Patchin, 2009). When school officials are made aware of a case of cyberbullying, Hinduja and Patchin (2009) suggest that schools should first ensure the safety of the victim, then gather information, involve all parents and law enforcement if necessary, enforce discipline, and employ legal counsel (Wiseman, 2011). As more adults become aware of cyberbullying, hopefully there will be fewer instances of adults thinking these indidents are ‘normal.’ Campbell (2005) stresses that in order to increase children report their experiences; schools should take all reports seriously and work diligently with parents and students to adequately resolve the problem. If every child has the right to come to school knowing that they are entering a safe, secure environment, then every educator has the obligation to take action on current issues that impact their student population (Wiseman, 2011). With the growth of social networking not slowing down anytime in the near future, cyberbullying is now a major issue that educators simply must acknowledge as a primary concern when evaluating threats to student safety and academic performance. It will take a joint effort by school officials, parents and lawmakers to effectively combat against this epidemic. With more indepth research and factual information on this topic, hopefully the rise in cyberbullying and misuse of technology will halt.

References
Abrams, D. E. (2011) Recognizing the Public Schools’ Authority to Discipline Students’ Off-Campus Cyberbullying of Classmates. New England Journal on Criminal and Civil Confinement, Vol. 37, p. 181, University of Missouri School of Law Legal Studies Research Paper No. 2011-06
Belsey, B. (n.d.). Retrieved December 19, 2009 from http://www.cyberbullying.ca.
Campbell, M. A. (2005). Cyberbullying: An old problem in a new guise? Australian Journal of Guidance and Counseling, 15(1), 68-76.
Gross, E. F. (2004). Adolescent internet use: What we expect, what teens report. Applied Developmental Psychology, 25, 633-649.
Feinberg, T., & Robey, N. (2009). Cyberbullying: School leaders cannot ignore cyberbullying but rather must understand its legal and psychological ramifications. The Educational Digest, 74(7), 26-31.
Hinduja, S., & Patchin, J. W. (2007). Offline consequences of online victimization: School violence and delinquency. Journal of School Violence, 6(3), 89-112.
Hoffman, J. (2010, 27 June). Online Bullies Pull Schools Into the Fray. The New York Times.
Raskauskas, J., & Stoltz, A. D. (2007). Involvement in traditional and electronic bullying among adolescents. Developmental Psychology, 43(3), 564-575.
Sbarbaro, V., & Smith, T. (2011). An Exploratory Study Of Bullying And Cyberbullying Behaviors Among Economically/Educationally Disadvantaged Middle School Students. American Journal Of Health Studies, 26(3), 139 151.
Schmidt, S. (2012, 19 April). Gay Iowa Teen 's Suicide Spurs Cyberbullying Discussion; Iowa City Vigil Planned for Friday. The Iowa City Patch.
Snakenborg, J., Van Acker, R., & Gable, R. A. (2011). Cyberbullying: Prevention and Intervention to Protect Our Children and Youth. Preventing School Failure, 55(2), 88-95. doi:10.1080/1045988X.2011.539454
Mitchell, K. J., Ybarra, M., & Finkelhor, D. (2007). The relative importance of online victimization in understanding depression, delinquency, and substance abuse. Child Maltreatment, 12, 314-324.
National Cyber Security Alliance, Zogby 463 (2011). The State of K-12 Cyberethics, Cybersafety and Cybersecurity Curriculum in the United States. Retrieved April 24, 2012, from http://www.staysafeonline.org/sites/default/files/resource_documents/2011%20National%20K-12%20Study%20Final_0.pdf
‘Wiseman, B (2011) Cyberbullying in schools: A research study on school policies and procedures. University of Nevada, Las Vegas.

References: Campbell, M. A. (2005). Cyberbullying: An old problem in a new guise? Australian Journal of Guidance and Counseling, 15(1), 68-76. Gross, E. F. (2004). Adolescent internet use: What we expect, what teens report. Applied Developmental Psychology, 25, 633-649. Feinberg, T., & Robey, N. (2009). Cyberbullying: School leaders cannot ignore cyberbullying but rather must understand its legal and psychological ramifications. Hinduja, S., & Patchin, J. W. (2007). Offline consequences of online victimization: School violence and delinquency. Journal of School Violence, 6(3), 89-112. Hoffman, J. (2010, 27 June). Online Bullies Pull Schools Into the Fray. The New York Times. Raskauskas, J., & Stoltz, A. D. (2007). Involvement in traditional and electronic bullying among adolescents Sbarbaro, V., & Smith, T. (2011). An Exploratory Study Of Bullying And Cyberbullying Behaviors Among Economically/Educationally Disadvantaged Middle School Students. Schmidt, S. (2012, 19 April). Gay Iowa Teen 's Suicide Spurs Cyberbullying Discussion; Iowa City Vigil Planned for Friday. The Iowa City Patch. Snakenborg, J., Van Acker, R., & Gable, R. A. (2011). Cyberbullying: Prevention and Intervention to Protect Our Children and Youth Mitchell, K. J., Ybarra, M., & Finkelhor, D. (2007). The relative importance of online victimization in understanding depression, delinquency, and substance abuse National Cyber Security Alliance, Zogby 463 (2011). The State of K-12 Cyberethics, Cybersafety and Cybersecurity Curriculum in the United States ‘Wiseman, B (2011) Cyberbullying in schools: A research study on school policies and procedures