Internet Safety Part IICyberBullying

Judson Independent School District …

strives to provide a safe, positive learning environment for students in our schools. Cyber bullying is conduct that disrupts both the student’s ability to learn and a school’s ability to educate its students in an effective manner. It is the goal of the district to maintain an educational setting in which cyber bullying in any form is not tolerated.

Definition

Cyber bullying is unwelcome, cruel and/or harassing information communicated directly or indirectly via Technology tools such as, but not limited to: Electronic mail Instant messaging Phone (call or text) Internet postings Chat rooms Web sites

Cyber bullying communication is intended to intimidate and/or humiliate the targeted person(s).

Rationale/Legal

Texas has not adopted anti-cyber bullying laws.

It is legally covered by House Bill No. 283 Section 2.

No Child Left Behind (NCLB) mandates that all students will be educated in a safe, drug free environment that is conducive to learning.

Statistics from Pew Internet and American Life Project reports from 2005 and 2007 include:

93% of teens 12-17 use the internet and can access it from multiple location

87% of parents are online  73% of families have broadband at home 66% online teens have cell phones 68% of teens using cell phone text 78% of teens say they believe that the Internet helps them with their

education

More than ½ of all teens have created media content and roughly 1/3 of teens who use the internet have shared the content they produced. In addition it stated that the group at highest risk online are 11½ - 15 year old kids, with 70% of the victims online are girls.  

Statistics

Prevention

Awareness and education are the keys to cyberbullying prevention. The goal of cyber bullying awareness and education is to: Provide netiquette Educate students, parents and staff about the

law and the warning signs. Raise awareness so that victims and witnesses

feel comfortable reporting incidents Establish expectations and consequences for

parents, students and staff Provide resources to assist victims and

offenders

Warning Signs

A child may be a victim of cyber

bullying if he or she….• Unexpectedly stops using the computer

• Appears nervous or jumpy when an instant message or email appears

• Appears uneasy about going to school or outside in general

• Appears angry, depressed, or frustrated after using the computer

• Avoids discussions about what they are doing on the computer

• Becomes abnormally with drawn from the usual friends and family members

A child may be cyber bullying if he or she….• Quickly switches screens or

closes programs when you walk by

• Uses the computer at all hours of the night

• Gets unusually upset if he or she cannot use the computer

• Laughing excessively while using the computer

• Avoids discussions about what they are doing on the computer

• Is using multiple online accounts, or an account that is not their own

Reporting

Any student or staff member subjected to cyber bullying, as well as any person who has reason to believe a student or staff member is being subjected to cyber bullying has a responsibility to report the incident to a campus staff member, administrator or supervisor.

Investigating

Campus Administration or supervisors will investigate all reports of cyber bullying.

If the investigation results indicate cyber bullying was not committed, the administrator will inform the parties involved of the investigation results.

In the event the investigation results indicate cyber bullying was committed by a Judson ISD student, campus administration will follow District and campus procedures, as outlined in Employee and Student handbooks.

Examples of Cyber Bullying

Student sends or posts hateful, unkind or threatening messages

A student may create a similar screen name to pose as another student. This screen name is used to post inappropriate comments or engage the student into sharing sensitive, private information with the intention to distribute to others

Students steal another student’s account password to pose as that student.

A student creates or posts information on social networking site(s). Information can include sexual, racist, and inappropriate stories or pictures that may attract unwanted attention or offend people.

A student uses a digital camera device to take pictures of students to post as part of an offensive survey. For example, “Who is the __________? (add a derogatory or humiliating remark )

Staff Responsibilities

All JISD campus (non custodial and non-food service) staff will participate in an annual training on cyber bullying.

All staff will uphold an educational environment free of cyber bullying.

Staff members who receive a cyber bullying complaint are required to report the incident to an administrator.

Administrators will conduct an investigation and will inform all parties involved of investigation results.

If needed, administrators will request assistance from Technology Services to investigate allegations.

Cyber bullying constitutes a major offense and consequences will be assessed by administrators based on the guidelines in the Student Code of Conduct.

 

Student Responsibility

All students will participate in an annual training on cyber bullying

All students will refrain from participating in cyber bullying.

Students will report cyber bullying incidents to an administrator or staff member.

Reprisal or Retaliation

The District prohibits reprisal or retaliation against any individual who reports an act of cyber bullying. The administrator will determine the consequences and corrective action for individuals that engage in reprisal or retaliation after consideration of the nature and circumstances of the act. Reprisal or retaliation constitutes a major offense and consequences will be assessed based on the guidelines in the student handbook.

Discipline and Consequences

Discipline and consequences for cyber bullying is dependent upon the severity of the incident(s) and will require a response as determined either at the classroom, campus, or District level.