Cyberbullying

A Scenario Regarding Cyberbullying: James is frustrated and saddened by the comments his high school peers are making about his sexuality. Furthermore, it appears a group of male students are creating fake e-mail accounts at Yahoo.com and are sending love notes to other male students as if they came from James-who is mortified at the thought of what is happening.

My reaction: If I had the opportunity to help James, I would start by telling him this isn’t his fault. I want him to feel safe, secure and know that he has my unconditional support. I would ask him to tell me exactly what happened, when the emails were being sent out and to whom so we can investigate the situation and discipline the student(s) who are the bullies. If at all possible I would ask that the emails be printed so this way we have proof of the bullying. Then I would enlist the help of the school officer just to get law enforcement involved. James’s safety is important! I would then schedule a meeting with James’s parents just to make sure they are aware of the situation. Since we really might not know who the offenders are, we can call or write to Yahoo.com and tell them what is going on and ask what their policies are against cyber–bullying and to demand that the false account be shut down. I would ask that there be an all-school assembly where the school officer can talk about cyber-bullying and the consequences that come from bullying someone. Though the offences occurred off campus, detention, suspension, changes of placement or even expulsion can or may be necessary. Every student has the right to feel safe and needs to be comfortable being at school.