Cyberbullying is willful and repeated harm (e.g., harassing, humiliating, or threatening text or images) inflicted through the Internet, interactive technologies, or mobile phones. It can consist of gossip, exclusion, impersonation, harassment, flaming, outing, trickery, threats, cyberstalking, and so on.
Some students in California will be using a new curriculum, based on the Internet, to teach very young students—8-years-old in some cases—to go online and surf safely and responsibly, the San Jose Mercury News reports.
“Kids are coming to school in fourth and fifth grade with digital devices,” said Mike Lorion of Common Sense Media, the San Francisco-based nonprofit that developed the Digital Passport online curriculum. “It’s a great time to teach them to behave responsibly.”
Digital Passport explores topics like protecting passwords, online privacy, and how to deal with cyberbullying effectively.
Our cyberbullying laws
Cyberbullying laws vary widely from state to state.
In Maryland, H.B. 199, 2008 Code §7-424, 7-424.1 Bullying, Harassment and Intimidation (PDF) deleted references to “cyberbullying” from the law and simply defined “electronic device.” The state board has to develop a model policy, but punishment is left up to the schools themselves.
Illinois, on the other hand, has extensive, explicit cyberbullying laws.
January 1, 2012, H.B. 3281 “The board may suspend or by regulation authorize the superintendent of the district or the principal, assistant principal, or dean of students of any school to suspend a student for a period not to exceed 10 school days or may expel a student for a definite period of time not to exceed 2 calendar years, as determined on a case by case basis, if (i) that student has been determined to have made an explicit threat on an Internet website against a school employee, a student, or any school-related personnel, (ii) the Internet website through which the threat was made is a site that was accessible within the school at the time the threat was made or was available to third parties who worked or studied within the school grounds at the time the threat was made, and (iii) the threat could be reasonably interpreted as threatening to the safety and security of the threatened individual because of his or her duties or employment status or status as a student inside the school. The provisions of this subsection (d-5) apply in all school districts, including special charter districts and districts organized under Article 34 of this Code.
In 2011 … proposal references cyberbullying: S.B. 3266 (2010) (105 ILCS 5/27-13.3, 5/27-23.7, 5/10-20.14); 105 ILCS 135/1-2 (2008) defines harassment through electronic communications. The definition includes “making any obscene comment, request, suggestion or proposal with an intent to offend,” and “threatening injury to the person or to the property of the person to whom the electronic communication is directed or to any of his family or household members.” Violation of the provisions of the statute will result in a class B misdemeanor.
H.B. 6391: Beginning with the 2010-2011 school year, a school district must include in the age-appropriate curriculum topics devices, including, but not limited to, the risks and consequences of dissemination and transmission of sexually explicit images and video. The age-appropriate unit of instruction may be incorporated into the current courses of study regularly taught in the district’s schools, as determined by the school board. Nothing about the actual penalty other than it is up to the school.
