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Cyberbullying - Moving from the schoolyard to the Internet

"Respect, responsibility, caring, integrity, tact and self-discipline do not end the moment you enter the Internet."

Kids have found a new way to bully each other. Bullying has moved from the schoolyard to the Internet and teachers are among the targets.

"Technology is a popular vehicle to spread rumors, attack character and integrity, like nothing before," said Marjie Blaufuss, KNEA staff attorney.

KNEA is addressing this issue because it will interfere in the classroom, even if the behavior is done at home, she added. The KNEA Human and Civil Rights Commission (HCR) is compiling resources to develop a training to help KNEA members deal with cyberbullying. KNEA members can read more in the October, 2006, edition of the KNEA Issues .

Students of all ages are using cell phones and Web sites to bully their peers. In a growing number of cases, teachers are becoming the targets. Additionally, the common descriptor of a bully is changing.

"Bullying, virtual or in real life, covers all ages, all races and all genders," said Sherri Carter-Marks, a member of HCR and United Teachers of Wichita member. Most of the bullies send to be female, however. The difference between bullying in elementary and secondary schools, she added, is that grade school kids bully about turf issues.  For teens, it's the boy/girl relationships and "teasing" using offensive terms with sexual overtones.

Technology is about making connections, she added. "Respect, responsibility, caring, integrity, tact and self-discipline do not end the moment you enter the Internet."

Roles

KNEA resources explain the roles of the bully, the target and the bystander, and offers advice for teachers and parents. According to various resources, there are many roles in a cyberbullying situation:

• Put-downers - Those who think they have the right to harass and demean others, especially those they think are different or inferior.
• Get-backers - Those who have been bullied by others (targets) and are using the Internet to retaliate.
• Targets - The target of the cyberbully. KNEA uses the term "target" rather than "victim."
• Bystanders Who Are Part of the Problem - Those who encourage and support the bully or watch the bullying from the sidelines, but do nothing to intervene or help the target.
• Bystanders Who Are Part of the Solution - Those who seek to stop the bullying, protest it, provide support to the target or tell an adult.

Cyberbullies can be anonymous and may not even know the target.

Online Behavior

Parents and teachers are amazed and dismayed at the language and behavior of model students. Why is it that when people use the Internet or cell phones, they sometimes do and say things that they would never do in the "real" world?

"You can't see me, I can't see you so I'm protected," said Rhonda White, high school counselor and Pittsburg EA member. "Kids don't realize the consequence of statements, of pictures or threats sent electronically. Since it isn't face-to-face and e-mail accounts can be anonymous, kids feel they are invisible, that they have a wall of protection."

The feeling of invisibility removes concerns of detection, social disapproval and punishment. "Kids think they're not really doing anything bad," Carter-Marks added. "The problem is there are no consequences unless the target understands they have a right not to be bullied or harassed. Bullying should not and will not be tolerated in public school - on the playground or online."

Honesty Not Always the Best Blog Policy

Living in the Information Age can be hazardous to your career.
Increasingly, teachers are becoming targets.

"Bet that your students will 'Google' you," Blaufuss said. "Experience tells us that if there are photos of you drinking, they'll find them, adapt them and send them on to others, including your supervisor." There are a few cases where students created false blogs for teachers, adapting photos and posting them.

Blogs are one of the newest ways for personal information to be shared. Personal blogs can serve as outlets for relieving stress and pent-up emotions. But remember, blogs are public. "Teachers and administrators may not be as understanding about your need to express your feelings as they are about their own reputation," Blaufuss said.

"Check out your blog and make sure there's nothing offensive or inappropriate," she advises teachers. "Ask a colleague to look at it. Simply because you don't name administrators, specifically name the 'jerk' or even your district, doesn't mean they won't recognize themselves when someone refers to your blog."

College students hoping to be hired by a school district should clean up their blogs. Prospective employers can gain access to these blogs (especially if a work site computer is used) and may form hard-to-erase impressions of their current staff or of those applying for positions.

KNEA resources, advice

Regardless if you're a teacher or a parent, "get in their face electronically," Carter-Marks advised. "If a student makes a racial or gender slur and says, 'I was just joking,' it is not really joking. I tell kids, if you do something stupid on the Internet, it will come back to haunt you."

"Like students, teachers have a right not to be bullied," Blaufuss said. "Teachers have a right to report."

Among KNEA resources is advice to address the proper use of technological devices, to know your district's policies on sexual harassment and Internet usage and to know your rights.

The Association needs to be involved in conversations regarding proper Internet use policies.

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