Kamala Harris,  attorney general of California, wrote an excellent piece on cyberbullying for San Jose Mercury News. We encourage you to read the article, but if you’re pressed for time, a couple of standout points include:

California recently enacted two laws criminalizing certain forms of online impersonation and giving school officials the authority to suspend or expel students who engage in cyberbullying. These laws are crucial to promoting safety, but they aren’t enough.”…..

…Ultimately, it is young people themselves who must make the Internet a place of tolerance. They have the most at stake. Their generation is the first to be born into a digital, connected world, and they will have the biggest hand in shaping its contours. I hope we can all affirm that, while the Internet has changed how we interact, it has not fundamentally changed how we should treat one another.”

So how do we get the word out to our students/children that they must be the change?  We warmly invite your input on this important topic. What questions or suggestions do you have? Where can we find strategies, resources, and models that are genuinely bringing about a decline in bullying/cyberbullying?

How are other states handling bullying? New Jersey made the headlines yesterday with a new law that mandates their school districts to adopt anti-bullying programs and designate anti-bullying specialists to investigate complaints.

The law, known as the Anti-Bullying Bill of Rights, is considered the “toughest legislation against bullying in the nation,” and demands that all public schools adopt comprehensive anti-bullying policies, increase staff training and adhere to tight deadlines for reporting episodes.

Read more: http://www.wptv.com/dpp/news/national/new-anti-bullying-law-in-effect-for-new-jersey-school-districts#ixzz1Wl6UCa2z.

How does New Jersey’s law compare to California’s anti-bullying legislation? Good question for a classroom discussion, recorded on a Venn diagram. Check out the California Watch article Anti-bullying law expanded to include social networking sites.

What we are experiencing is an epidemic of ineffective bullying prevention educational programs and public service announcements (PSA’s).” Rosalind Wiseman

The Huffington Post now features a section on bullying, with some great articles, including What Makes a Good Anti-Bullying PSA? In two 10-point lists, author and educator Rosalind Wiseman sums up both the bad and the good:

A bad bullying prevention program or PSA:

1. Relies on gimmicks, like anti-bullying T-shirts, useless slogans like, “Bullying isn’t cool. Don’t do it,” bracelets, pledges, and celebrity appearances as the principle educational strategy.
2. Depicts stereotyped situations.
3. Shows all white people at the center of the plot, or has token racial diversity. For example, the Queen Bee white girl with her backup Black and Asian friends.
4. Presents suicide as a natural consequence of being bullied and as a revenge fantasy against the bullies. Kids don’t have to have suicide thrown in their face to take bullying seriously. Emphasizing suicide will make children think that any feelings less than that aren’t worth reporting.
5. Portrays no realistic and comforting adult presence.
6. Provides no skills or strategies to stop bullying beyond, “Tell an adult” and doesn’t acknowledge that telling an adult often doesn’t help at all.
7. Assumes that bullying is always one-way.
8. Gives the primary motivations to not bully as that you will be punished or feel guilty.
9. Emphasizes blame.
10. Ignores the fact that most bullies think they’re defending themselves or are at least justified; e.g. the victim deserves it. This is one of the primary reasons why a bully won’t see themselves in these types of campaigns.

A Good Bullying Prevention PSA and Campaign:

So what makes a good bullying PSA? How about the sample below from Adina’s Deck:

And the 10 points for an effective PSA….

1. Depicts realistic scenarios, knowing that if presented realistically the topic will hold the viewer’s attention. (T-shirts, bracelets and celebrities are unnecessary.)
2. Incorporates the power, negative or positive, of the by-stander.
3. Clarifies, age appropriately, the difference between snitching and reporting.
4. Reflects young people’s understanding and experience of race dynamics. i.e. while racism can be a weapon to bully, children have a nuanced perspective on race.
5. Understands how homophobia is tied to bullying.
6. Has an adult (maybe a parent) comforting a child.
7. Doesn’t patronize the viewer.
8. Provides skills and inspiration in equal proportion to depicting the problem.
9. Is willing to acknowledge that adults can be part of the problem as well as help solve or improve the situation.
10. Inspires people to take the risk to publicly support victims and responsibly confront bullies.

Is there anything you -  or your students – would question, add to or change on either list?

President Obama was joined by the First Lady for last week’s White House Summit.

In a video posted on the safety page, President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama encourage Facebook members to join in the effort to decrease bullying, both online and off.

“For a long time, bullying was treated as an unavoidable part of growing up,” President Obama says in the video. “But more and more we’re seeing how harmful it can be for our kids, especially when it follows them from their school to their phone to their computer screen.”

As part of the Summit, Facebook rolled out a  new set of anti-bullying tools that allow users to privately report bullying to  parents or teachers.  In recognition of the serious consequences that often accompany issues of bullying, Facebook  said the “social reporting” feature is intended to get reports of bullying to the people with the best chance of stopping it.”

Spreading rumors and playground bullying is nothing new to students. There has been a huge shift. Children are now using their mobile phones and the Internet to hurt, humiliate, and harass each other. They are receiving and sending inappropriate texts, instant messages, and embarrassing photos. This type of bullying is especially disturbing because it is constant and very public.

1. Make sure you set clear expectations about your child’s online activity.
2. Set family guidelines around the use of Internet and mobile phones.
   • Let them know what they can and can’t access or share with their friends.
   • Let them know how much online time is deemed appropriate in your eyes.
3. Discuss what the consequences might be if you find that your child is not meeting your expectations.
4. Monitor your child’s use of the computer and their mobile phones. Have regular conversations with your children about how they are interacting on the Internet and how their online behavior might impact others.
   • Have an action plan if your children feel that they are being bullied online.
   • Periodically view text messages and photos on your children’s mobile phones.
   • Question them if you find something inappropriate.
5. Most importantly – keep the lines of communication open. Your child’s ability to use the Internet is a privilege. Don’t be afraid to be a parent if you feel they are abusing it.

e-School News

A recent e-Schools News article on Tips for Reducing Bullying and Cyberbullying addresses so many critical issues and provides such practical tips that we thought you would want it available in a printable format.

Please share your thoughts so we can start a  community discussion on best practices for addressing, reducing, and eventually eliminating the growing problem of 21st century bullying.