Records show how Ann Arbor public schools are dealing with cyberbullying
In May, Ann Arbor public schools moved to cut off wireless access for students using smartphones and other devices, citing the potential for cyberbullying as one reason.
An AnnArbor.com review of school district documents obtained through the Freedom of Information Act shows officials are increasingly concerned with cyberbullying involving students — with some of the conflict spilling over from the Web into classrooms.
Sixteen incidents of cyberbullying or violations of the district's computer usage policy were reported in district schools in the 2010-11 school year, documents show. One video posted to YouTube was made in a school computer lab, records show.
Meanwhile, district officials have been attending conferences and training sessions to prepare themselves to handle cyberbullying.
Four of the incidents dealt with violations of the district's Internet usage policy, including putting photos of the Virginia Tech University shooter as the background on a school computer, downloading programs onto school computers, using school computers to install software to work for money and hacking into computers to perform April Fool's pranks.
District spokeswoman Liz Margolis said it wasn't immediately possible to compare the number of this school year's cyberbullying incidents with the previous year's, but she said it's likely the number increased due to greater awareness and reporting of the problem.
“I think that means there was a growing awareness with families,” Margolis said. “I know that schools had parents bring in copies of Facebook pages and that shows a greater awareness, but I’m not sure if it equates to higher numbers.”
Outside conflict spills onto school grounds
Many of the cyberbullying incidents began outside school grounds and led to incidents inside school buildings.
In April, a Pattengill Elementary School student posted a video on YouTube “that communicated how much he ‘hated’ another student,” documents show.
Students were able to view the video at school after an Internet filter, which is meant to block websites like YouTube and Facebook, was disabled.
Pattengill Principal Che Carter said he was notified of the video by one of the students mentioned in it.
During the ensuing 24 hours, he notified parents of the video’s existence, called the mother of the student who posted the video to have it taken down, notified staff members and his superiors of the video’s existence, and requested the student who posted the video be kept out of school to keep the situation from escalating.
A second video made by the student was recorded in the school's computer lab, which can be seen in the background, according to the incident report obtained by AnnArbor.com. That video was also posted to YouTube.
“I thought the quicker you jump on those kind of things … the easier it is to facilitate the forgiveness piece,” Carter said this month. “It doesn’t make them a bad kid, just means he doesn’t know how to express those feelings.”
The student was given a two-day out-of-school suspension after both videos were discovered.
“Where do you draw the line, I think anything that affects a child or a child’s well-being in school is concerning enough for me to investigate and look into,” Carter said.
After the incident at Pattengill, Carter held an assembly for the fifth-grade class to discuss cyberbullying and how to appropriately use technology. He also sent information home to parents with advice on how to monitor their children on the Internet, including a cyberbullying reference guide.
Students and parents at Pattengill signed anti-bullying contracts during the school year and the school now has a “Bully Box” for students to give anonymous tips on bullying incidents. Carter said the “Bully Box” was empty from the incident in April until the end of the school year.
Cyberbullying at Ann Arbor high schools
District high schools dealt with the bulk of cyberbullying and computer policy violations documented last school year, a total of 14 incidents, records show.
On March 24, a female student at Skyline High School came to class and asked the teacher if she could sit as far away from another student as possible. The student then provided school officials with copies of harassing Facebook posts the second student had sent her.
The offending female student was later warned by school officials not to speak to the other student and to stay away from her. Instead, the offending student posted more comments on Facebook during class that referred to the other girl. The offending student was suspended for one day.
In February, two Skyline students were warned by school officials that any fighting resulting from their bickering on Facebook would result in suspensions. Another student was reprimanded after she took cell phone pictures of another student in class and posted them on Twitter with "inappropriate captions," documents show.
An argument in May at Skyline involving two students also stemmed from threats originally made on Facebook.
A forum at Eastern Michigan University in April featured a survey on cyberbullying compiled by Skyline students.
The Skyline junior class presented results that showed cyberbullying was more prevalent in the school than many thought, said Washtenaw County Commissioner Kristin Judge, D-Pittsfield Township, who helped organize the cyberbullying forum.
“It’s really an issue that goes through everything,” Judge said. “It doesn’t matter what school, if you’re white, black, poor or rich, it’s really a big issue right now.”
Skyline wasn’t the only Ann Arbor high school with cyberbullying incidents reported to school officials.
At Huron High School, school officials reprimanded students who made inappropriate comments to each other online.
One incident documented racist, homophobic and insulting comments that a student made to another over Xbox Live chat. The offending student was given a warning and counseling, had his class schedule changed and parents notified, and was forced to write apology letters.
Another Huron student threatened a fellow student that there would be a fight if the student ever talked to his girlfriend again and included weight-related insults, according to documents. Both students were warned and were forced to write apology letters to each other.
Sulura Jackson, principal at Skyline, and Arthur Williams, principal at Huron, were unable to be reached for comment for this story.
School employees work to educate themselves on cyberbullying
Documents also show how Ann Arbor schools officials are actively seeking information about how to prevent and address cyberbullying.
About half of the documents obtained by AnnArbor.com when asking for materials related to cyberbullying during the 2010-11 school year are employee communications on anti-bullying conferences.
About 13 administrators and principals responded to an email from district spokeswoman Liz Margolis announcing their intentions to attend a conference at the Washtenaw Intermediate School District in late April.
Monique Uzelac, director of instructional technology for AAPS, set up a Digital Citzenship and Internet Safety event for the district in early June, which reviewed laws “as they pertain to online behavior, harassment, bullying and sexting.”
Uzelac also communicated with district officials about conferences and events dealing with technology usage by students.
The Student Intervention and Support Services staff at the district also received several Internet news stories dealing with bullying and cyberbullying from Mary Spence, a school psychologist in the district.
Other districts across Washtenaw County are dealing with the same issues, according to the head of a local children's agency.
Jyoti Gupta, the executive director of the Washtenaw Area Council for Children, said she’s worked with school districts around the county on cyberbullying issues, including Ann Arbor, Milan Area Schools, Manchester Community Schools, Chelsea School District and Whitmore Lake Public Schools.
She said the council has worked with teachers, principals and counselors in Ann Arbor schools and their work has always been well-received.
“The district is very involved (in anti-cyberbullying measures),” she said. “We’re currently talking to other middle schools for programs in the next school year.”
Gupta said many school districts in Washtenaw County are concerned about bullying. She said the annual conference at EMU this spring had a large turnout and drew many principals and school counselors.
“They are taking a proactive stance,” she said. “They’re very concerned about bullying in the schools and we have principals, teachers and counselors calling us and talking to other resources as well.”
Much of the communication sent between district officials seemed aimed at educating school employees on the dangers of cyberbullying, with the intent that they bring that knowledge back to their schools.
Carter said that was his goal when dealing with Pattengill’s issues this spring — he wanted to not only bring peace to the school but also empower students to speak out against cyberbullying and teach them how to use technology properly.
He said it may take 3 to 5 years to truly change the culture of a school and stamp out bullying, but he said teaching students and parents their rights can help move the process along.
The best thing to come out of his experiences as principal this spring is that he knows there’s a class of Pattengill students who are moving on to middle school with a clear idea of what cyberbullying is, Carter said.
“The silver lining is my fifth-graders have a clear understanding of how to make an informed decision before using technology in an inappropriate way,” Carter said. “It’s one more thing on your list you need to constantly monitor.”
Kyle Feldscher covers K-12 education for AnnArbor.com. He can be reached at kylefeldscher@annarbor.com or you can follow him on Twitter.
Comments
Bullying.org
Sat, Jul 30, 2011 : 2:24 p.m.
Hello, Thank you for your post. As a parent and educator, I would like to share four Websites I have created that seek to prevent bullying through education and awareness. I hope that they may be of help, information and support to others. <a href="http://www.bullying.org" rel='nofollow'>http://www.bullying.org</a> The world's most visited and referenced Website about bullying <a href="http://www.cyberbullying.org" rel='nofollow'>http://www.cyberbullying.org</a> The world's first Website about cyberbullying <a href="http://www.bullyingawarenessweek.org" rel='nofollow'>http://www.bullyingawarenessweek.org</a> The official Website of the annual Bullying Awareness Week <a href="http://bullyingcourse.com" rel='nofollow'>http://bullyingcourse.com</a> Offering online courses and Webinars about bullying and cyberbullying for educators and parents I hope that these educational resources may prove helpful to you and your community. Sincerely, Bill Belsey President, Bullying.org "Where you are NOT alone!" e-mail: help@bullying.org
Kristin Judge
Tue, Jul 26, 2011 : 5:04 p.m.
@Basic Bob - There are community members working on solutions as a part of the Washtenaw County Cyber Citizenship Coalition (<a href="http://www.washtenawcybercoalition.org)" rel='nofollow'>www.washtenawcybercoalition.org)</a>. Members are from school districts, higher education, non-profits, government and law enforcement etc. all working together with state and federal partners to raise awareness and educate residents on how to stay safe online. I invite you to join our group and become a part of the solution. We meet once a month and have put on events for over 500 students from the area so far.
snapshot
Tue, Jul 26, 2011 : 4:51 a.m.
How do we stop Ann Arbor public school officials from bullying the taxpayers with special milliages?
Wendy
Tue, Jul 26, 2011 : 4:25 a.m.
A number of schools have resorted to banning phones in schools. When the students are caught with phones they are taken away and returned at the end of the day, a note is sent to the parents informing them of the situation. Also I do know of schools where book bags, back packs, etc are not allowed in the classroom. This seems to discourage it somewhat. As far as being behind the curve in teaching about bullying. They are often not punishing the student. A talking to by the principal, a counselor and parents, but no real punishment. And so much is unreported by kids because of fear. Fear of ridicule from their peers for being "a baby" "a sissy" or "i was just kidding" "Can't you take a joke", "This stuff happens all the time, what's the big deal". If we can't slow it down in elementary school then they grow up to be bullies, to their own kids, spouses, employees. The cycle is continued. Bullying is just abuse by peers.
10dz
Tue, Jul 26, 2011 : 4:01 a.m.
only one way to deal with a bully. schools can only do so much.
jns131
Tue, Jul 26, 2011 : 3:03 a.m.
The only way to make your child safe at school is to know when yours is being bullied. Mine has and has been since elementary. Trust me I keep tabs on that bully and threaten to bring a lawyer when ours is being bullied by the bully. It stops and ours lets the teacher know it is happening.....again. Ann Arbor has had bullies since I was in school. The digital age has made it more fun for the bully to strike back at its victim. So many children have died because parents were not watching and being vigil enough to recognize the signs. I did. I was bullied and I swore it would never happen again. To any child. So far so good. Thanks again for recognizing this as a national problem and stopping it in its tracks.
Basic Bob
Tue, Jul 26, 2011 : 12:28 a.m.
Kristin Judge is taking time out of her schedule to advocate for our kids, or score some headlines. Sadly, there are no solutions offered, just an attempt to criminalize immature behavior. We don't need to fast track kids to the sex offenders list.
Kristin Judge
Tue, Jul 26, 2011 : 5:05 p.m.
@Basic Bob - There are community members working on solutions as a part of the Washtenaw County Cyber Citizenship Coalition (<a href="http://www.washtenawcybercoalition.org)" rel='nofollow'>www.washtenawcybercoalition.org)</a>. Members are from school districts, higher education, non-profits, government and law enforcement etc. all working together with state and federal partners to raise awareness and educate residents on how to stay safe online. I invite you to join our group and become a part of the solution. We meet once a month and have put on events for over 500 students from the area so far.
a2 Brute?
Tue, Jul 26, 2011 : 12:16 a.m.
Why? Are they special?
Mike
Mon, Jul 25, 2011 : 9:57 p.m.
How about not allowing your kids to go online and have a facebook page, etc.? Parents are too busy to be parents anymore and just give kids access to computers and smart phones. Why? I password protect my computers and keep them in visible locations no matter how much they whine. The world isn't going to end if your kid doesn't have their own Facebook or Myspace page. When did we get to this point? How did we get here? Take control of your own household and everything else will take care of itself.
Arbor Kid
Tue, Jul 26, 2011 : 9 p.m.
Mike that's a common mistake. It works while the kid is there, but as soon as the kid is in the real world they've never been exposed to it, so they're not prepared to deal with it. Sheltering your kids from things like this is necessary until at a certain age they have to be taught, and eventually trusted.
J. A. Pieper
Tue, Jul 26, 2011 : 12:15 a.m.
Mike, too may parents do not follow your last line... Take care of your own household and everything else will take care of itself... Everything is being pushed on the teachers/schools!
Joe Dohm
Mon, Jul 25, 2011 : 8:54 p.m.
I found this article difficult to read. Many paragraphs have only one sentence. There is little summary or analysis. Instead it seems to be merely a list of incidents and punishments. Many of the facts are relevant, but there seems to be little editing or organization. This article is clearly better than nothing, but I feel that it would never have been published in a physical newspaper. I understand that budgets are tight, but a small time investment could have cleaned this article up and made it much more useful.
Mike
Mon, Jul 25, 2011 : 9:57 p.m.
What?
obviouscomment
Mon, Jul 25, 2011 : 8:51 p.m.
Because of all the extra curricular activities that children are involved in now, it is understandable that they would need some reliable way to keep in touch with their parents. Cell phones are fine but should be closely monitored by parents. Kids don't need to be able to text or access the internet, just make a phone call. There are plenty of simple phones that would allow them to do that in an emergency. Unfortunately, a lot of parents are providing their children with phones that allow them to waste hours of valuable time and hundreds of valuable dollars harassing other children. Most, if not all cell service providers have ways that phones can be monitored and controlled by the parents. Numbers and applications can be blocked and use and location can be checked at all times. I strongly suggest all parents take advantage of these options that are made available if they choose to allow their children to use cell phones. Parents shouldn't think: "Oh not my kid." Monitoring your child's activities is part of your job description as a parent. It not only protects others, it protects them as well.
treetowncartel
Mon, Jul 25, 2011 : 8:12 p.m.
It looks like the State House is taking an initiative on this issue. It seems like everyone is willing to give a child one time to screw up, which is good. because they are just kids after all. <a href="http://www.legislature.mi.gov/documents/2011-2012/billintroduced/House/htm/2011-HIB-4392.htm" rel='nofollow'>http://www.legislature.mi.gov/documents/2011-2012/billintroduced/House/htm/2011-HIB-4392.htm</a>
abc
Mon, Jul 25, 2011 : 6:30 p.m.
@ amy said" Re: bullying. I'm a fan of lunch detentions - having the transgressor eati lunch in the back of the classroom, instead of w/his or her friends. It's quick, efficient, a bit embarrassing, but they'll cope, and they'll still make the school bus at the end of the day" We have a large enough family that when they were squabbling, I didn't have enough separate corners to send them to. I figured if one wanted to annoy another by getting in their space( and the annoyee most like responded in kind) I would honor the desire. The aggressor would have to wait on the sibling, hand and foot for a day under my watch. Likewise, instead of sending the bully and the bullied to opposite ends of the school, the bully would have to be BFF with the one they bullied for predetermined time by the school.
cette
Mon, Jul 25, 2011 : 5:20 p.m.
I'm not a fan of suspension generally for misbehavior, because it's too easy, too rewarding for the kid. Stay in school and do community work, and get the kid the help the kid needs.
cette
Mon, Jul 25, 2011 : 10:49 p.m.
Kids who start missing, start missing more school, and a kid whose not in school is not learning. AAPS has had trouble with excessive suspension and expulsion, and then there was this article....harvardcrcl.org/2011/07/20/texas-study-looks-closely-at-school-to-prison-pipeline/
alarictoo
Mon, Jul 25, 2011 : 8:34 p.m.
I remember a time when suspension meant being home with mom (or dad) and doing every nasty job they came up with as a punishment. And hearing about what an idiot you were the whole time. It certainly wasn't computer time, daytime TV (which might actually be cruel and inhumane punishment), and goofing off. And, I'm not that old. Yet another part of parenting being foisted off on the schools. Where does it stop? Suspension let you know you'd done something wrong, and made sure your parents were aware of it, too. However, if the kid is on their own at home, it is completely ineffectual. They'll likely be on Facebook, or texting, etc. doing the same thing(s) that got them suspended. School discipline is only supposed to go so far. The rest is supposed to be accomplished through parenting.
Amy Lesemann
Mon, Jul 25, 2011 : 4:26 p.m.
Re: having a phone. There are no more payphones, anywhere. If your kid is participating in an afterschool activity, the child had better have a phone to contact you when it's over for a ride home. You can't count on a late bus, or the school contacting you if it's cancelled or runs late. Often the office is closed. This is a safety issue. Good morning! Welcome to 2011. I suspect the person who does not see the need for a cell phone has not had a child in school for a loooong time. Re: bullying. I'm a fan of lunch detentions - having the transgressor eati lunch in the back of the classroom, instead of w/his or her friends. It's quick, efficient, a bit embarrassing, but they'll cope, and they'll still make the school bus at the end of the day. Students can also work it off by cleaning lunch tables, serving at lunch, or other kinds of community service instead of out of school detentions that often leave kids unattended at home, sleeping in and watching Jerry Springer. Not much of a punishment.
Barb
Mon, Jul 25, 2011 : 5:38 p.m.
Another good one that they used to use at Slauson (not sure if they still do) is Saturday School. Lemme tell ya, there is not one kid that wants to be at school stuck in the library doing homework on a Saturday. More painful than lemon juice on a paper-cut, that one.
jason
Mon, Jul 25, 2011 : 3:15 p.m.
Personally I don't see how out-of-school suspension is a punishment. If you're a kid chances are you don't want to be in school anyway: you'd rather be anywhere else BUT school so I see it more as a reward than a punishment. I feel like In-School detentions would be much more effective at deterring kids from misbehaving. I also feel that the bullying goes on a lot more than people think. It takes a lot of courage and self-esteem to come forward about bullying which are two things that bullying is very effective at destroying. Add in the fact that kids, especially in high school, are much more concerned with how their peers view them than their parents and it's a huge challenge these kids have to overcome to come out about this. I'm surprised to learn that students are able to not only download but install software on school PC's. Any software needed should be communicated by the teachers to their school's IT department and installed weeks before the term begins. Allowing students this kind of unrestricted access gives them a lot more freedom on school equipment than they will ever need.
obviouscomment
Mon, Jul 25, 2011 : 8:38 p.m.
So true. Most of the students are probably home alone during their suspensions and end up playing computer and video games and watching TV the whole time, what kind of punishment is that?
Barb
Mon, Jul 25, 2011 : 3:33 p.m.
"Personally I don't see how out-of-school suspension is a punishment. If you're a kid chances are you don't want to be in school anyway: you'd rather be anywhere else BUT school so I see it more as a reward than a punishment. I feel like In-School detentions would be much more effective at deterring kids from misbehaving." You are so right. In-school suspensions are much less desirable if you're a student. I think that's also less desirable to the administration though since it requires staff and again, therein lies the problem
aamom
Mon, Jul 25, 2011 : 2:59 p.m.
"Cyber bullying is just the newest way to bully other students. AAPS has never been good at handling these situations be it cyber, verbal or physical." It sounds to me like they are handling it well now, especially at Pattengill. In the case at Skyline, what about the old 3 strikes and the cell phone is mine til the end of the year? In elementary schools the teachers will do this all the time for small nominal objects that are causing problems. How about adding cell phones to that list if you do it at school?
a2migrl
Mon, Jul 25, 2011 : 2:34 p.m.
Bullying has always been an issue in the school district. I had an issue with my son about 8 years ago. I went to the teacher, no results; I went to the principal, no results; I went to the parents and threatened to call the police. Amazing how fast I got results. The school (teacher and principal) knew this child was an issue and did nothing. The principal told me her hands were tied and there was nothing she could do. I have a friend who had to pull her child from AAPS because the bullying was so bad. This was during the last school year. When she asked the principal and vice principal about the reprimand for the offending students they had no records of the complaints that had been lodged by my friend. The schools try to bury incidents so that they do not have that blemish on their records. Cyber bullying is just the newest way to bully other students. AAPS has never been good at handling these situations be it cyber, verbal or physical.
J. A. Pieper
Tue, Jul 26, 2011 : 12:09 a.m.
So true about the schools trying to bury incidents so as not to tarnish their image. A friend works at one of the middle schools where a gun was brought to school, and the district swept it under the carpet to the extent that upon the student's return, the staff filed a grievance. Gun incident still hid under the carpet!
alarictoo
Mon, Jul 25, 2011 : 2:15 p.m.
@hazel - It would be great if meeting with parents were actually an effective way of dealing with a problem. However, it does not seem to be. I have a friend who works for AAPS who related to me a story of a meeting between one of the high school principals and a student's parents. The student in question had been caught cheating on a test. However, when presented with this issue the parents became upset that the school staff were "tricking" the students to catch cheaters, in this case multiple versions of the test with questions in different order, and threatened to contact board members and the superintendent of schools. The principal gave the parents the superintendent's phone number and email, and info for reaching the board members. Poor little Johnny must have been scarred for life by the lack of trust and the hostile atmosphere he was getting his education in. Parents please get real. To steal one from @CB's Ghost: Good Night, and Good Grief!
AMOC
Wed, Jul 27, 2011 : 4:48 a.m.
Alarictoo - And it would be even better if the HS principals would actually meet with parents, instead of having all discipline issues delegated to the class principals. I'm betting this won't be as easy for them to do in the future, but I tried repeatedly and without success to actually have a meeting with the HS principal about my troubled and sometimes disruptive kid.
Charlie Brown's Ghost
Mon, Jul 25, 2011 : 4:21 p.m.
It's OK. I stole it, too.
Hazel411
Mon, Jul 25, 2011 : 1:56 p.m.
I feel that the Skyline bullying incident could have been an incredible opportunity for a teaching moment. Suspending a student is a punishment. What did the offending student due while suspended? An apology should be required from the offending student as well as meeting with a school psychologist and social worker. How about a meeting where both students' parents are in attendance? Let's work on rehabilitation, not just punishment.
Jeanette Kissell
Mon, Jul 25, 2011 : 1:54 p.m.
I am not sure why any 5th grader has a smartphone. That is just ridiculous. Where is your 10 year old at that they need a cell phone of any kind. When my mom wanted me she just yelled out the back door. My son wasn't allowed to have one until he was old enough to sign the contract. Maybe the parents should be held more accountable!
alarictoo
Mon, Jul 25, 2011 : 2:45 p.m.
"The trick is to have technology (and staff) within the schools that keeps up." And, unfortunately, that does not come cheap.
a2migrl
Mon, Jul 25, 2011 : 2:41 p.m.
When parents are divorced sometimes it becomes necessary for the children to have a phone, not necessarily a smart phone. I got my son a phone at a young age because his father was not reliable and I felt better that he had one. For me it was a safety issue not a luxury, it was also not a smart phone. I worked and the child went to his dads after school. My choices as a single parent were very limited on my income. A pay as you go phone was my best option at the time.
Barb
Mon, Jul 25, 2011 : 2:20 p.m.
"...And get off my lawn, while you're at it!" Seriously, is that really relevant? The fact is that some do and as long as parents aren't educated about what goes on with these things, it will continue to be a problem. I don't envy the administrators. As long as technology gets more creative, so will kids. The trick is to have technology (and staff) within the schools that keeps up.
Arbor Kid
Mon, Jul 25, 2011 : 1:43 p.m.
Dear AnnArbor.com, Please try to write about things in a fashion that does not blow them out of proportion, and stick to news related articles that don't try to stir up sentiment against the schools, especially skyline. Sincerely, We're tired of it There's about 16,440 students in the district, and the total incidents of cyber bullying is 16? And some of these incidents being called cyber bullying are april fools pranks and downloading applications for money? Something has been blown out of proportion here...
obviouscomment
Mon, Jul 25, 2011 : 8:33 p.m.
The number of incidents reported was 16, who knows how many more are out there. This is a major issue in our country and is constantly being talked about in the news so I fail to see how this is simply an article to "stir up sentiment against...skyline". They talked about more than one school but focused on Ann Arbor schools since this is AnnArbor.com. This is not being blown out of proportion, it's important to address these issues before they include all 16,440 students. What is more unreasonable is you're idea that this is a minor issue that affects few people.
Arbor Kid
Mon, Jul 25, 2011 : 3:05 p.m.
Ah, and there lies the problem doesn't it? There's no way to monitor that, so it only weakens the administration in the eyes of the student body if they can't control the entire problem. I can appreciate what you're working towards here, but to allow the schools to suspend in these situations is going about it in the wrong way...
a2roots
Mon, Jul 25, 2011 : 2:22 p.m.
Good perspective and you are correct based on what is known. However, if you are a student, you certainly know there is exponentially more going on. Most incidents just haven't been caught.
a2roots
Mon, Jul 25, 2011 : 1:38 p.m.
Nice to see when an incident comes to light that action is being taken. My guess is there is much more going on than what anyone is aware of. Kids today are extremely resourceful in how they taunt one another. The days of meeting on the playground or behind the school and solving an issue with a punch or two is history.
Stephen Landes
Mon, Jul 25, 2011 : 12:34 p.m.
I don't know how you "cut off wireless access for students using smart phones and other devices" without also impairing the ability of those students to use the technological tools that the schools are buying for academic purposes. It seems to me that our schools are way behind the curve in teaching students about the permitted uses of computer/smartphone tools and wireless access on the school district systems. The schools also seem to be way behind the curve in demonstrating that bullying is unacceptable regardless of the means of delivery. Be vigilant, be aggressive in correction and punishment, be consistent, and make sure that the "method of delivery" is not a consideration.
cette
Mon, Jul 25, 2011 : 10:01 p.m.
Not that particularly good advice....
Joe Kidd
Mon, Jul 25, 2011 : 9:59 p.m.
It seems to me that you are assuming that once the schools teach the students about permitted use, abuses will end. It is somewhat difficult (impossible) to expect every apple to be a good one.
sh1
Mon, Jul 25, 2011 : 12:39 p.m.
Students used to be taught internet etiquette by their computer lab teachers. Those positions were all cut to save money.
Patricia Lesko
Mon, Jul 25, 2011 : 11:53 a.m.
Nice job Kyle. This response from the District was waaaaaaaay too long in the coming. At the beginning of the school year, my son told me kids at his middle school had found a simple way around the District's filter. I called the District, and it took me 45 minutes to find the right person to speak with, because the District and the county have "merged" resources. The individual in charge blamed the filtering software, and said there was nothing to be done. It would be "months," I was told, before the company that provides the filtering software expected to have a patch. Tech millage? I don't think so.
Blerg
Mon, Jul 25, 2011 : 12:29 p.m.
Geez Pat, don't you see how the " 'merged' resources" and the tech millage are related?!? See, there is no money in the district for puny things like custodians, bus drivers, and technology, and really teachers. The district has to put the squeeze on every little item which results in a buzz word that everyone LOVES: consolidated resources. So, the district consolidates services, like transportation and technology, and then whiny parents get to complain when it takes them forever to make a phone call.
SalineSara
Mon, Jul 25, 2011 : 11:44 a.m.
Kyle, any mention of bullying against members of the GLBT community?
a2 Brute?
Tue, Jul 26, 2011 : 12:16 a.m.
Why? Are they special?
Charlie Brown's Ghost
Mon, Jul 25, 2011 : 1:35 p.m.
It makes no difference. It's wrong regardless of the bully's motivation or who it's against. The same policy and the same consequences should apply to all bullies, and all victims should be respected and protected the same. Good Night and Good Grief
Smart Logic
Mon, Jul 25, 2011 : 10:42 a.m.
Good for Skyline for suspending the one student. High school is tough and there are plenty of bad apples out there. There should be a zero tolerance approach to bullying. Continue suspending offenders and let them decide if they want to clean up their act or end up pursuing a GED later in life.
Jack Gladney
Mon, Jul 25, 2011 : 10:33 a.m.
What is this new phenomenon of 'bullying?' I was reading a story the other day about a couple of guys who didn't like the coat their brother was wearing or something. They beat the brother up and threw him in a pit in the ground. This needs to stop. Oh, wait... that was in the Book of Genesis.