To further understand how Connecticut schools implement the anti-bullying statute posed by the state, I will present data from the town of Marlborough. The Marlborough School District is a single PreK-6 school in a rural town serving nearly 545 students. According to the CT State Department of Education (2017) website, Marlborough encountered six total bullying incidents in the past 4 years. The state does not specify how many of those incidents, if any, were considered cyberbullying. Marlborough has written a Safe School Climate Plan, as required by the state, with the purpose of providing a learning environment free from bullying, cyberbullying, and teen dating violence to provide a positive school climate. For the purpose of this analysis, I will focus on cyberbullying. According to Marlborough’s Safe School Climate Plan, the school has the right to intervene when bullying takes place (1) “on campus or a school sponsored event” (p. 29), or (2) “off campus if the incident poses a likelihood of substantial disruption to the educational process or the orderly day to day operations of the school” (p. 29). Their definition of bullying mirrors that of the state statute (Conn. Gen. Statute § 10-222d, 2011) and cyberbullying is further defined as, “any act of bullying through the use of the Internet, interactive and digital technologies, cellular mobile telephone or other mobile electronic devices or any electronic communications” (p. 2). The plan includes an example of
At the moment, states such as Colorado, define bullying broadly as an intent to cause distress or to intimidate or ridicule, while the laws of New Jersey and other states focus on bullying from bias race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, or physical or mental handicaps (Lee). Questions must be answered in developing anti-bullying policies, even with the support of state laws. What incidents are schools responsible for? Connecticut's state policy is one of the most complete types, and supports school-level policies that place the heaviest burden on the bully (Lee). With students being able to report incidents of bullying anonymously, a way for parents to file reports of possible bullying, and mandatory investigations on any reports really helps put a stop to bullying and care for the victims of bullying
This problem has become more pressing and has been a greater focus in the media. Social media has also brought the issue to the forefront in the last several years and, itself, plays a role in today’s age of bullying, cyber bullying. The Matt Epling Safe School Law (2011/2014) was amended in 2014 to add a section specifically directed at cyberbullying. The legislation identifies bullying as anything that is composed, spoken, acted out, or conveyed electronically. These acts are said to disrupt educational opportunity, impart emotional disturbances, influence physical and mental health, and/or impact the daily functioning of the educational institution (Matt Epling Safe School Law, 2011/2014). These definitions demonstrate the severity of the social problem,
Lawmakers, activists, and parents have all been working to institute laws to help reconcile the bullying that has invaded the schools. It has not been a speedy process, only nine states require the schools to report bullying to the local authorities (Garby, 2013). New Jersey has the stiffest anti-bullying law thus far, by suspending or
In the article “Cyberbullying: Is There Anything Schools Can Do?” Taylor first mentions how 15 years ago schools had to take a good look at hazing because of the increasingly innovating brutalities that children were inflicting on each other. Schools decided to put in place policies addressing harassment which included a definition of what harassment is and what the procedure and punishment will be for someone who makes an infraction of the policy. Taylor explains that cyberbullying is harassment using the internet, social networks, and mobile devices to making threats, slanderous remarks and other activities that cause emotional damage to people. It becomes an issue for teachers when it happens during or continues onto the school grounds.
The article, “Bringing an end to bullying,” by Signe Whitson sets to offer simple practices for use by educators and youth care professionals in the United States to prevent bullying in school. The writer suggests to increase adult presence in common areas, build connection with kids and deal with cyberbullying and recommends to teach good social skills by integrating them into school activities. A definition of bullying is stated along with anti-bullying legislative policies laid for local schools and communities (Whitson 50).
Bullying is a recurrent issue that can be found in many, if not all, schools across the world. It is a universal action. “Bullying is broadly defined as intentional and repeated acts that occur through direct verbal, direct physical, and indirect forms (cyberbullying), and it typically occurs in situations in which there is a power or status difference” (O’Brennan, Waasdorp, & Bradshaw, 2014). In a study done among 876 students in grades 4, 5 and 6, researchers came to the conclusion that nearly 30% of students commit acts of bullying against their classmates, with reports of bullying being two times higher than the rate of bullying itself. “Aggression and peer victimization are significant problems for many elementary and middle school students” (Jensen, Brisson, Bender &Williford, 2013). According to Lindsey M. O’Brennan, Tracy E. Waasdorp and Catherine P. Bradshaw, in their article “Strengthening Bullying Prevention Through School Staff Connectedness, they state
Bullying in schools has become an increasing problem in American society. Bullying is the repetitive, aggressive behavior from one person to another. This can include leaving someone out intentionally, spreading rumors, assaulting a person physically and verbally, and threatening someone. Bullying can be executed in many different ways: online, physically, and verbally. The article, “Bullying in Schools: An Overview”, states, “According to John A. Calhoun, president and CEO of the National Crime Prevention Council (NCPC), 6 out of 10 American teenagers witness bullying in school on a daily basis,” (Lee N.p). Many schools across America have a zero-tolerance rate on their campuses, especially since the No Bullying Law was implemented. Bullying is a growing problem, but society can solve it by creating more online restrictions, implementing more classes about it, and advising teachers to educate the students about it.
For kids and adolescents, most of their days are spent at school, in which they can be victims of bullying (Source?) It is once they get home from school and the bullying continues online that brings forth the concern of further harm which schools feel they can not control (Froese-Germain, 2008; Cassidy, Jackson, & Brown, Sticks and Stones Can Break My Bones, But How Can Pixels Hurt Me?: Students' Experiences with Cyber-Bullying, 2009; Cassidy, Jackson, & Brown, Cyber-Bullying: Developing Policy to Direct Responses that are Equitable and Effective in Addressing this Special Form of Bullying, 2006) What is mind-boggling in the aspect of responses from teachers and educators in the sense of cyber-bullying is the lack of respect that is shown towards the teachers, as not only does cyber-bullying occur towards students, but teachers often also find themselves as victims (Cassidy, Jackson, & Brown, Cyber-Bullying: Developing Policy to Direct Responses that are Equitable and Effective in Addressing this Special Form of Bullying, 2006; Froese-Germain, 2008; Kuehn, 2008). What needs to happen is for teachers to become more “computer-literate” and trained to deal with cyber-bullying in order to fully understand the harsh effects of cyber-bullying on students (Cassidy,
Bullying is prohibited on school grounds, on school buses and at bus stops, at school-related functions and activities, and on school computers. The law required that every school district incorporate into its code of conduct. Each school may not adopt the exact same procedures for dealing with bullying. Much of what we know about bullying in schools comes from two groups of research studies”(Legault, 2012).
The student code of conduct and employee handbook has anti-bullying contracts requiring the signatures of all students and faculty members. Vowing they will report all forms of bullying. Students are accountable for de-escalating conflicts, avoiding, conflict, not creating conflict and not encouraging conflict either (Beaufort County School District 16). Disciplinary actions can lead to suspension or expulsion from schools. Third party participants can face the similar disciplinary actions. Including facing criminal charges. First Amendment considerations when regulating cyberbullying on and off campus must be authorized by state law. The following paper will discuss public schools in protection of student from cyberbullying and its relationship with 1st Amendment.
More than 3 million students are bullied each year and over 14 percent of those students commit suicide (“Parent Alert: Websites that Encourage Kids to Behave and Not Harm Themselves”) . No state has ever passed a law about hazing or cyberbullying in all of history but do have some legislations against it (“ Facts about Bullying”). Bullying can affect everyone those who are bullied, those who bully, and those who witness bullying(“ Facts about Bullying”).Most people face Bullying issues through the years of adolescence (“ Facts about Bullying”).No state has ever passed a law about hazing or cyber bullying (“ Facts about Bullying”) . Although there are some people that believe bullying it is a natural part of growing up and is not that serious, this is an issue that is causing students to commit suicide and self-harm, skip school, and continue the cycle of bullying. These negative effects can be lessened
As students walk through the halls of their school, they deserve the right to a comfortable and safe environment. Bullying effects millions of students in schools each year. This can lead to heartbreaking consequences to the victim and their families. Tyler Clementi, a freshman at Rutgers College, took his own life by jumping off the George Washington Bridge over the Hudson River in New York City, after two of his fellow classmen allegedly streamed live video on the internet of him and another fellow student, who was male, in a sexual encounter (Billiterri, “Preventing Bullying” 1015). This type of cyber-harassment is degrading at its lowest level. Today people believe that they can hide behind the anonymity of the
What is it that causes students across the world to be unfairly targeted by their fellow classmates? Bullying is an act that is all too common in schools today. Some forms of bullying can range from the “innocent” teasing of a student to the harmful attack that could potentially damage a student’s well-being. School should be a place where a student feels safe and welcome to express their individuality. Instead, students feel insecure and apprehensive to present who they truly are to their fellow classmates. Shaming within schools is unfortunately a common circumstance that can lead to students feeling insecure, whether it be in connection with their appearances, exercise habits and weight differences, or their family’s economic stature.
“Early one morning in 2013, this fourteen-year-old from Indiana purposely hanged herself from a tree in front of her school bus stop so that her tormentors would see her lifeless swinging corpse. She had allegedly been repeatedly mocked as a ‘slut’ and a ‘whore,’ as well as enduring relentless teasing over the fact that her father had been jailed for hitting her” (Goad). Bullying has been a major problem in our society. The power of bullying can ruin someone’s life. Nothing good can ever come from bullying no matter how it happens. Bullying has been around for a long time, and it must come to an end. Bullying should be stopped because of the terrible and heartbreaking outcomes.
What if you were terrified to go to your school every day? 160,000 students miss school each day because they get bullied and are scared of what will happen (“Bullying Statistics”). Bullying has been a major problem in schools for far too long. Students should not be scared to go to a place that is supposed to be safe and where they can express themselves. Students that bully never get the punishment they deserve, which causes them to continue to act. When you go to school, you should know that if you are getting treated in a horrific way, the people who were treating you that way will get punished. Students who bully should be suspended from school.