Cyberbullying–The Role of Schools

Cyberbullying–The Role of Schools

By: WordPress.com (2010)

In the wake of student suicides attributed to cyberbullying, the spotlight seems to be focused squarely on schools, asking what schools are going to do about it. Bullying itself, is not a new phenomenon, but certainly the advent of technology and social networking has added some new dimensions to the age-old problem.

What used to take place in minimally supervised areas now happens via the technology. Because many schools have not figured out how to manage inappropriate activities, most social networking sites have been blocked by filters in schools, which of course means the actual posting of hurtful content most often happens outside of school. Unlike isolated incidents at school, posts made via social networking sites are especially harmful because of the speed at which they travel and spread.

However, I’m trying to clarify why this is a problem for schools to solve. Now I believe that schools have a responsibility to provide a safe learning environment for all kids. To that end, I believe we have a duty to respond to any and all bullying that happens ‘on our watch’ and ‘in our house.’ Additionally, I think schools are an appropriate mechanism for teaching kids about appropriate uses of technology and perhaps we should extend the learning to parents. But what quite frankly, I’m having a hard time accepting is the idea that schools should be held accountable for the behavior of students outside of the school day and outside the school building.