Madeline
Rookie
- Banned
- #1
I'm interested in the intersection between the internet and public school disciplinary rules. Specifically as they pertain to bullying and cyber-bullying.
The Lori Drew case circa 2008 involved a 49 year old Missouri woman who posed as a phoney 16 year old boy to lure a 12 year girl who was a school mate of her daughter's into a relationship on MySpace, then dumped her in public and ridiculed her until she suicided. Even though the malfeasor's daughter and the victim were in school together, there doesn't seem to have been any active role for the school to have played in this tragedy.
The Phoebe Prince case from 2010 involves six high school students who battered and assaulted a 15 year old on campus and cyber-bullied her off of it. The parents of the victim knew about this and asked the school to intervene but they did not. This case is still too recent to yield any court decisions or other guidance as to what exactly the school should have done.
This is what I think may be reasonable. For middle school students, gather parents and students together and announce that school policy prohibits any student from joining any social networking site, PERIOD. Give the parents the option to allow the student onto these sites at the parents' own risk. Afterwards, the school does nothing, except expell students caught on these sites without a filed permission slip from their folks.
For high school students, announce that a student caught accessing any social networking site by any means on campus or during school hours is getting expelled, PERIOD. Then tell students and parents why these sites are a terrible, life killing place to engage in any acting out. Then tell them all they are not getting any protection on such sites from the school.
I also think public schools should have equipment to detect any and all cell phones etc. and confiscate same at the beginning of each school day, returning them only after a student has left campus or the school bus, whichever is later. No student ought to have a device that can take photos or video AND upload it onto the 'net....such things endanger teachers and administrators, not just other students.
Any thoughts? Additional cases? Different ways to skin a cat (aka advise a school board as to the necessary school administrator conduct needed to avoid liability for failing to prevent cyber-bullying between students)?
I believe we have some teachers here on USMB, along with plenty of parents of kidlets in K-12. All POVs are welcome; I'm asking for input, not necessarially agreement.
The Lori Drew case circa 2008 involved a 49 year old Missouri woman who posed as a phoney 16 year old boy to lure a 12 year girl who was a school mate of her daughter's into a relationship on MySpace, then dumped her in public and ridiculed her until she suicided. Even though the malfeasor's daughter and the victim were in school together, there doesn't seem to have been any active role for the school to have played in this tragedy.
The Phoebe Prince case from 2010 involves six high school students who battered and assaulted a 15 year old on campus and cyber-bullied her off of it. The parents of the victim knew about this and asked the school to intervene but they did not. This case is still too recent to yield any court decisions or other guidance as to what exactly the school should have done.
This is what I think may be reasonable. For middle school students, gather parents and students together and announce that school policy prohibits any student from joining any social networking site, PERIOD. Give the parents the option to allow the student onto these sites at the parents' own risk. Afterwards, the school does nothing, except expell students caught on these sites without a filed permission slip from their folks.
For high school students, announce that a student caught accessing any social networking site by any means on campus or during school hours is getting expelled, PERIOD. Then tell students and parents why these sites are a terrible, life killing place to engage in any acting out. Then tell them all they are not getting any protection on such sites from the school.
I also think public schools should have equipment to detect any and all cell phones etc. and confiscate same at the beginning of each school day, returning them only after a student has left campus or the school bus, whichever is later. No student ought to have a device that can take photos or video AND upload it onto the 'net....such things endanger teachers and administrators, not just other students.
Any thoughts? Additional cases? Different ways to skin a cat (aka advise a school board as to the necessary school administrator conduct needed to avoid liability for failing to prevent cyber-bullying between students)?
I believe we have some teachers here on USMB, along with plenty of parents of kidlets in K-12. All POVs are welcome; I'm asking for input, not necessarially agreement.
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