Cyberbullying is Not "Someone Else's Problem"

With online behavior, just as with mathematics or American history, we instruct students so that they can go out into the larger world armed with the tools of an educated citizenry. In the digital age, this area of instruction cannot be neglected. Cyberbullying has received little in the way of direct professional development focus in my school district. I think that this might prove to be a costly mistake if not rectified. Cases of cyberbullying pepper the news with stories of horror: in a case out of Massachusetts, several students have been indicted on a variety of criminal charges, including assault, in connection with the suicide of student Phoebe Prince. The allegations of vicious bullying against the student are shocking: “students said Phoebe was called ‘Irish slut’ and ‘whore’ on Twitter, Craigslist, Facebook, and Formspring”. Reports state that, in Phoebe’s case, instances of cyberbullying and more traditional bullying tactics went hand in hand. (Kennedy, 2010)

We swiftly and strictly respond to more traditional instances of bullying, and we work to be proactive in educating our staff and students in recognizing the signs and signals of bullying offenders and victims. Yet because electronic media is not a regular part of elementary instruction in our district, teachers on campus do not commit class time to education about cyberbullying and other online behaviors. HEB ISD’s Student Code of Conduct states that “cyber bullying will not be tolerated and is considered a violation of the Student Code of Conduct.” (Board of Trustees, Hurst-Euless-Bedford ISD, 2010) This is an excellent start; however, without specific training on the nature of cyberbullying and techniques for incorporating a discussion about cyberbullying into the curriculum, teachers are left adrift when faced with classroom realities. Aimee Bissonette cautions against exactly this: “Well-crafted policy is important, but it alone will not remedy the cyberbullying problem. As Shariff and Johnny (2007) point out in their article Cyber-Libel and Cyber-Bullying: Can Schools Protect Student Reputations and Free-Expression in Virtual Environments?, policy alone ‘does not teach students to think about the impact of their actions; nor does it engage them in dialogue about how they can address the challenges that new technologies bring, in an informed, thoughtful and coherent manner.’” (Bissonette, 2009, p. 11) As I mentioned in an earlier post, I plan to develop online courseware via Moodle, which can include opportunities for online discussion between students. My school district takes this professional development opportunity to open a discussion with teacher about online behaviors, but because the course is optional, it is not adequate for informing all teachers. As I have opportunities to help guide professional development opportunities for my campus, I will campaign for professional development that gives my entire campus clear guidance in monitoring for and addressing cyberbullying.


Works Cited:
Bissonette, A. (2009). Cyber Law: Maximizing Saftey and Minimizing Risk in Classrooms. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.
Board of Trustees, Hurst-Euless-Bedford ISD. (2010). 2010-2011 Student Code of Conduct. Retrieved October 15, 2010, from HEB ISD district website: http://schoolctr.hebisd.edu/education/page/download.php?fileinfo=Q29kZV9vZl9Db25kdWN0Xy1fRW5nbGlzaF8tXzIwMTAtMjAxMS5wZGY6Ojovd3d3L3NjaG9vbHMvc2MvcmVtb3RlL2ltYWdlcy9kb2NtZ3IvNzA5Ml9maWxlXzY0Njk3X21vZF8xMjg2MjAzNTI4LnBkZg== Kennedy, H. (2010, March 29). Phoebe Prince, South Hadley High School's 'new girl,' driven to suicide by teenage cyber bullies. Retrieved October 29, 2010, from NY Daily News.com: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/2010/03/29/2010-03-29_phoebe_prince_south_hadley_high_schools_new_girl_driven_to_suicide_by_teenage_cy.html