Cyberbullying

Cyberbullying has emerged as one of the fastest growing issues faced by school leaders. It involves the use of technology to bully another person and can occur through e-mail, instant messaging, blogs, websites or social networking sites.

Often cyberbullying occurs out-of-school and off campus but the effects may carry over to the school day. The legal guidance about how schools may respond is unclear, particularly about when schools may discipline students for off-campus speech.

The US Department of Education suggests that the response may not always be discipline. Schools can talk with students, teach students about appropriate online behavior, and counsel students about appropriate behavior. For incidents where there is substantial disruption discipline might be the appropriate remedy.

There are many resources available to school leaders to help you deal with cyberbullying. They include an issue of Digital Directions, advice from the Center for Disease Control (www.cdc.gov), and strategies for stopping the harassment (www.safeteens.com), and information from the Federal Trade Commission about online safety (www.onguardonline.gov).

I'd enjoy hearing from you about strategies you use to deal with cyberbullying.