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Research-guided approach for schools to
address cyberbullying
(Center for Safe and Responsible Internet Use, 2007b)
- committee assumes
responsibility for addressing cyberbullying and cyberthreats.
- committee
might include: administrators, teachers, counselors/psychologists, school
resource officers, students, parents, educational technology staff
2) Needs Assessment—Bringing ‘Sunlight’ to
the Problem
A comprehensive student survey is necessary to identify the scope of the concerns in the district and to provide insight into underlying issues. The survey should address on-campus and offcampus instances, relationship to on-campus bullying, impacts, reporting concerns, and attitudes
3) Policy and Practice Review
- All [school]
policies and practices … should be reviewed in the context of the concerns of
cyberbullying and cyberthreats.
- One specific
new practice that is recommended is better notification to students during
log-on to any district computer about policies against the use of district
technology resources for bullying, the existence of monitoring and the right of
the district to review individual student records, and an online confidential
cyberbullying and cyberthreats reporting vehicle.
- Formal Discipline.
School officials may be able to impose formal disciplinary response if …
substantial disruption has been established. But it is still necessary to
address removal of materials, potential of continuation or retaliation by the
student or online ‘buddies,’ and the support needs of the target.
- Clear,
Well-communicated Policy - The Internet use policy must be coordinated with
disciplinary policies and address:
· Unacceptable
communication and communication safety.
· Unlawful and
inappropriate activities.
· Notice of
limited expectation of privacy.
· Requirement of
reporting cyberbullying or threats
4) Professional Development
- Safe schools
planning committee and all “first responders” [teachers,
counselors, adminstrators, psychologist, social worker, support staff]
… need insight into problem and
ways to detect, review, and intervene.
- Teachers who
are instructing students about cyberbullying need insight into the concerns and
how to motivate safe and responsible behavior.
5) Parent and Community Outreach
Information should include an overview of the
concerns, how to prevent, detect and intervene if children are a victims,
preventing children from being cyberbullies, legal consequences, and strategies
to empower and activate bystanders.
6) Student Education
- “… it must be
recognized that cyberbullying is occurring in online environments where there
are no responsible adults present.
Empowerment of youth to independently prevent and address these concerns
is the goal of the student education.
The prerequisite to addressing cyberbullying is effective social skills
education.
- Social skills
instruction should:
· enhance
predictive empathy skills
· teach ethical
decision-making and conflict resolution skills
- Students should
have knowledge of:
· family, school,
and legal limits on online speech
· negative
influences on online behavior
· negative consequences
of online retaliation and posting material that could be perceived as a threat.
· specific
guidelines on how to prevent and stop cyberbullying
· the importance
of bystanders speaking out, providing assistance to victims and reporting
concerns …
7) Evaluation and Assessment
- Insight from
emerging research will need to be incorporated.
- The needs
assessment survey, as well as other assessment instruments, can help to assess
program components.
- Evaluation and
assessment should be used to modify and improve implementation efforts” (Center
for Safe and Responsible Internet Use, 2007b)
CyberbullyNot poster for
educators
Cyberbully.org - Professional development for educators
National Association of School Psychologists – Bullying fact sheet
U.S.
Dept. of Health and Human Services - What adults can do: Tips and resource
sheets