Journal 8: Point/Counterpoint: Should Schools Be Held Responsible for Cyberbullying? (NETS-T III-V)

Bogacz, R, & Gómez-Gordillo, M. (2011). Point/counterpoint: should schools be held responsible for cyberbullying?. Learning and Leading with Technology, 38(6), Retrieved from http://www.iste.org/learn/publications/learning-and-leading/issues/Point_Counterpoint_Should_Schools_Be_Held_Responsible_for_Cyberbullying.aspx

I found this article to be very interesting because it revolves around safety and how we as a society can prevent cyber bullying in our schools today. The trend involves educators, administrators, students parents, and police because they can all take the initiative in preventing cyber bullying. All we need to do is speak up and in doing so we are making the statement that cyber bullying will not be tolerated in our schools today. Police involvement is a clear statement that cyber bullying will have consequences. Most students are influenced so much by their parents and it is important to get parents involved in the process because parent’s involvement can lead to preventing cyber bullying. This includes talking with their kids, but also keeping an eye on their kids activity on their text messaging, social networks, and doing this means knowing their passwords to see what they’re doing and seeing what their saying online. Students fear that if they speak up for another student who is bullied will make them a target, and it’s true it is better ignore it than to confront it and speaking up. Ignoring these issues will only make things worse and the best thing is to confront it and speaking up to the bullies then to educators so that they can take care of the issue. Bullying weather it is in person or online administrators need to have consequences that will send a clear message that cyber bullying as a way of speaking with students won’t be tolerated at all.

Q1: Is Police necessary to make a statement to bullies that cyber bullying will not be tolerated?

A1: Yes, definitely because anything that happens off campus is much harder for the school administrators to get involved. I believe that if it Is happening off campus and not during school hours I believe that police involvement because they can speak to parents and then with the students involved that bullying online will no0t be tolerated and that their actions will have ramifications.

Q2: Speaking up makes students a target how can schools prevent this bullying from continuing to new targets?

A2: When students inform administrators of bullying going on they are seen as the enemy. In order to avoid this I feel that student’s names should be kept anonymous so that they don’t become the known targets, and this way only the bullies are apprehended without them knowing who informed the administrators.