Should all states enact cyberbullying legislation?
Submitted by lee on Mon, 01/11/2010 - 10:16am
According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, cyberbullying is “the willful and repeated use of cell phones, computers, and other electronic communication devices to harass and threaten others.” This includes, but is not limited to, instant messaging, e-mails, websites, or even e-mails. With the rise of cyberbullying among teenagers, schools are being required to take action in order to help prevent cyberbullying and provide a safer learning environment for students.
In the National Conference of State Legislatures’ article about cyberbullying, the bill number and summary for states with enacted cyberbullying legislation is shown. Some states, such as Delaware, are “required to establish a policy on bullying prevention with developing a bullying prevention programs and reporting bullying to the Delaware Department of Education.” In other states, such as Washington, cyberbullying materials must “be made available to educate parents and students about the seriousness of cyberbullying.”
The Protecting Students in the 21st Century safety program involves students, teachers, and parents to taking active steps towards educating, preventing, and protecting against cyberbullying. With online curriculum and training lessons, the program includes assessments, quizzes, and a safety pledge. To learn more about preventing cyberbullying, click here.
In a blog post from Norman Fried, he states that “educators, health care professionals, and parents alike need to work together to develop stronger strategies to reduce the lasting destruction that occurs with bullying.”
To view the entire article from the National Conference of State Legislature, click here.
Comments
I think if it happens it will be a great thing. RCA ieftin 2012
I am in no way defending or condoning cyber bullying. The issue though is what does this help? will it be enough? is this the right approach? I don't think so, not by a long shot. Cyber bullying will not go away unless bullying, more broadly, is addressed, or better yet, basic human interaction skills and discipline. Teenagers are a hard problem, specifically in this regard, as they have limited understanding of the ramifications of their actions, coupled with peer pressure,immaturity and the countless other factors involved in wanting humiliate or hurt another human being. The internet is just another platform for bullying, and granted it's a greater stage and more harm can be done, but if that outlet is taken away there will be others. Bullying will manifest itself one way or another, unless the underlying issues are resolved. Those issues are those of common sense, discipline and parental intervention. A piece of paper requiring parents to be aware of the concerns, or even just know they exist is far from a viable solution to the issue. I wish I had the answer, but settling on a shaky resolution instead of investing more energy understanding the underlying issues and resolving them, is not going to help resolve bullying or how it pertains to cyber bullying.
13 January 2009
50 weeks 1 day
While I'm not a big fan of more government involvement, in just about any phase of our lives, I'm wondering if such discussion of legislation will get us all (teachers, parents, students) talking more about cyberbullying and coming up with practical solutions.
What do you think?
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