2WebWatchers had the pleasure of participating in “When Cyberbullying Spills Into School,“ a webinar hosted by edweek.org and sponsored by Talk About It Anonymous Communication Service. Presenters included two nationally-recognized experts on bullying: Nancy Willard, executive director, Center for Safe and Responsible Internet Use and Barbara-Jane Paris, principal, Canyon Vista Middle School in Austin, Texas. Michelle R. Davis, senior writer, Education Week Digital Directions was the moderator for the event.

Much of students’ social lives outside of school these days takes place online, through social networking sites. And even though this form of bullying may happen most often after school hours, the impact from online conflicts and negative comments in cyberspace can directly affect a student’s in-school life, including the ability to learn. – edweek.org

Some of the questions addressed during the webinar included:

• Should schools be monitoring sites like Facebook to police student behavior?
• Can principals and administrators take disciplinary action against students who misbehave online?
• When does a cyberbullying situation require school intervention?
• How can school leaders create a school culture where bullying is unacceptable among students both in school and online?

The webinar has been archived and you can access it here: http://www.edweek.org/go/webinar/Cyberbullying.

You can also download the PowerPoint presentation in PDF format here: http://www.edweek.org/media/2012-02-23-cyberbullying.pdf

We are already actively incorporating many of the thoughts and ideas shared in the webinar:

• Support peer-based prevention and intervention as an important step to any implementation plan that addresses cyberbullying.
• Engage in a complete and objective investigation, exploring the roles of all parties involved.
• Review all policies and practices and update or add where needed.
• Continue to provide professional development, student education and parent and community outreach.