Dealing With Online Bullies Outside the Classroom

---

Should Schools Regulate Student’s Off-Campus Behavior?

Readers Respond 5:41 PM

Hold Children Responsible for Their Actions
Comment From Franklin Schargel

Children need to be held responsible for their actions. And while the punishments need to be age-appropriate, they also need to be meaningful to the children. Schools working with parents need to determine a ladder of punishments for improper actions. Among the privileges children could lose might include being removed from band and the football team, and not being allowed to attend school activities such as the prom. These rules should be shared with the students and their parents.

First Figure Out Why Kids Bully
Comment From Stina Gumminos

In the United States, it is assumed that children do bully, simply because they do. Maybe I have this completely wrong, or it could be a collision between different cultures, but I am from Sweden, and here we ask ourselves: Why do children bully? How can we make people more aware that this is simply not O.K., in any shape or form? Rather than discussing whether or not schools should regulate off-campus behavior, we should try to figure out why these kids bully, and how to make them understand that it is wrong. Problems needs to be fixed, not regulated.

Schools Must Step in Early
Comment From David Mainwaring

Online bullying (and bullying in general) definitely has an academic effect and will pose problems when the pupil is constantly immersed in a bullying environment. To believe otherwise is naive. If schools simply stepped in and intervened before most cases spiraled out of control, we probably wouldn't have so many dead teenage bully victims.

Kids Learn to Bully From Adults
Comment From Ruth O'Neill

As a teacher in South Australia I can tell you we do monitor out-of-school online bullying as best we can. Students are told to take screen shots and report it as harassment at school. If the perpetrator is a student then they are given a meeting to try and solve the conflict or detention or suspension depending on the severity. If it's extreme then the police may be called. We also work with our middle school students to teach them resilience to help them overcome bullying and offer some tips for avoiding conflict, such as not adding random friends to Facebook.

My personal view is that bullying starts with adults. Most bullies are kids with problems such as overly strict parents, lack of parenting, feelings of powerless or siblings that bully. Kids are a product of their environment and adults need to teach them kindness and tolerance.

Teach a Class on Internet Safety and Decorum
Comment From Khalilah L. Brown-Dean

Schools should promote healthy interactions between students that strikes an appropriate balance between protecting civil liberties and promoting student safety. Internet safety and decorum are as essential to promoting a student's well-being as requiring physical education and health classes. Many schools have integrated technology into their curricula, and it's irresponsible not to include a component that emphasizes conduct. Most colleges and universities require students to sign a student code of conduct that governs their behavior on and off campus. You don't stop being part of a campus community simply because you step outside of its gates.

Schools Have No Authority Off Campus
Comment From Lilian Grae

The domain of school stops after the last bell rings. Unless the Internet activity is being done on school time or in the classroom as an extracurricular activity, the school has no authority with what students do outside of school.

Off-Campus Behavior Is the School's Responsibility
Comment From Allison Kanter Agliata

Although off-campus behavior is not typically the responsibility of the school, it is crucial that we educate our students on how to be good digital citizens. Understanding how to conduct oneself online and within social media is vital to both their academic and social-emotional success, so there is no question as to whether educational institutions have an obligation to address this topic. Additionally, if a social conflict takes place off-campus, but the repercussions bleed into school interactions, the school still has a right and responsibility to take action, even if it is simply support or education on how to handle the situation. At the heart of every decision should be what is best for the child and anything we can do to guide them through a difficult circumstance is key to developing happy, well-adjusted and productive citizens.

Don't Regulate, Hold People Responsible
Comment From Peter Kobs

Regulating online behavior off campus is clearly impossible, both technically and in terms of the human resources required to do it. Such regulation also sends a chilling message to young people that censorship by authority is proper, which clearly isn't true under the First Amendment. But even free speech comes with consequences. Let's make those consequences clear to all -- and then enforce them consistently, rapidly and openly for all to see. There's a world of difference between "regulating behavior" and "holding people responsible for their actions" after the behavior is done. You're free to swing your fist in the air, but when your fist hits my nose, be prepared for some harsh consequences.

Empower Children to Stand Up for Themselves
Comment From Mia Schmeltzer Beck

A code of conduct is good, but we don't need more rules. A child being bullied needs to be empowered to deal with the situation. They need social skills to stand up for themselves in an assertive, kind and calm way. They need to learn how to rise above the bullying. Right now we are failing to educate our children in how to handle unpleasant people in person and online. They are taught to tell a teacher who will then fix the situation and as a result we have fostered a new generation of emotional marshmallows who depend on other people fixing their problems.

Focus on Communal Solutions Bullying
Comment From Joy Modenbach

As an elementary school principal I observe the blame game quite often. Bullying is not just one group in the community's problem, it is a societal issue, involving all groups. Having a team approach will help stop the epidemic. Cyberbullying is especially cruel because of the ability to save every picture, comment and reaction to the behavior and being able to retrieve the material days, weeks, months and even years later. It is so important that we lose the us and them mentality and focus on communal solutions to change and stop the behavior.

Join Room for Debate on Facebook and follow updates on twitter.com/roomfordebate.