Cyber Bullying in El Paso School Districts
Bullying has come a long way since those days of teasing in the school yards. Technological advances now make it possible for the bullies to go home with children of all ages, and this is important for school districts in our El Paso areas to notice. In researching four El Paso school districts’ student code of conduct it is safe to say that cyber bullying is in the handbook, but not all of them are taking the necessary precautions to make it an important topic within the districts’ policies. For this reason it is necessary that all El Paso school districts write in specific rules and regulations involving cyberbullying in order to protect all their students from future harm.
The reason that cyber bullying is important to take note of is simple: our children need to feel safe in and out of school regardless of what Medias they use to keep in contact with the outside world. In the tables below from cyberbullying.us/research we see the technological means used most by children ages 10-18 as well as the percentages of students who have been cyberbullied. The use of technology shows a large usage in cell phones, but there are still other higher percentages included as well. This tells us that with an increase in technology use we can expect to see more means for bullies to attack their prey. Close to 21% of students in the chart below mention that they have been cyberbullied at one point in their lifetimes. The effects of bullying can be anything from unnecessary stress, feelings of sadness and depressions, change of character, and can lead to very serious decisions like suicide. Bullying of all types isn’t something to be taken lightly, so school districts should do what they can to place and enforce specific guidelines and punishments regarding cyberbullying in particular because it is a form that hasn’t been fully explored and discussed.
There are four school major school districts in the El Paso area that should be looked at closely to see how children in our communities are being served; they are: Ysleta ISD, Socorro ISD, San Elizario ISD, and El Paso ISD. Each of these districts includes a definition for cyberbullying, but each of them does it differently. We need to see cohesion in order to show that cyberbullying will not be tolerated within the halls of our El Paso schools, so in order to do this we need to see how far each district goes into discussing the topic in their student code of conduct and what action will be taken if it occurs.
The first school district that we need to look at is the Socorro Independent School District. Out of the four above this school district has the least information regarding cyberbullying. The farthest they went into the subject is by including a specific definition of the action, but no discipline action was mentioned within the policies. By including a specific definition it does allow the students, staff, and parents to be aware of what constitutes cyberbullying, but by excluding the punishment for the action we are ignoring the safety of our children. Including the discipline measures would be more advantageous because it puts specific consequences into the hands of those who practice cyberbullying.
In the Ysleta Independent School District we see the definition of cyberbullying as well, but it is classified as a Level II offense which means that the student may have to enroll in a Disciplinary Alternative Education Program (DAEP). This is a step up from the Socorro District, however this is still not enough when it comes to cyberbullying. By allowing them to only be enrolled in an alternative program doesn’t limit or stop the torment they cause, it just delays it or makes it worse for the student.
In the El Paso Independent School District website we see a different approach to the subject of bullying. They have added a whole section dedicated to informing the community about bullying and listing the districts goals towards the subject. As helpful as this is in informing our community about the dangers of bullying in all its types, we do not see the specific consequences that will be given because of the action. This is very unfortunate because it would give the district a larger strength if they could include specific disciplinary actions that will be taken when bullying or cyberbullying occurs.
Out of all these four districts, the one that stands out the most is San Elizario ISD. In their online policies they also include a specific section dedicated to bullying and cyberbullying, but what is amazing is that they paint out all the specific details such as the definition, procedures to report bullying, and district action information. Though it is still limited in the description of what actions will be taken, the San Elizario ISD is far above the rest when it comes to informing the community in what is expected of their students and how to approach this very important topic.
Although all of the school districts include the topic of cyberbullying in their policies, it is important that school officials take the time to update and elaborate on what actions will be taken should cyberbullying appear in their campuses. The way they could do this is by coming together and delegating specific punishments for bullies in order to prevent future occurrences. The action that should be done shouldn’t be limited to expulsion; it should go further than that. What needs to be done is that the students who participate in cyberbullying should also have their technological privileges be revoked for an extended period of time until they show they are responsible enough to participate again within school grounds. They should also have to be made to do community service in order to foster responsibility in them as well. Without specific guidelines cyberbullying will most likely continue to grow until the districts enforce consequences that will affect the bullies. Our children need to feel safe, so in order to do this we need to take action; no child should be afraid.
Works Cited:
“Cyberbullying Identification, Prevention, and Response.” Accessed November 7, 2011 http://www.cyberbullying.us/Cyberbullying_Identification_Prevention_Response_Fact_Sheet.pdf
El Paso Independent School District Website. Accessed November 8, 2011.
San Elizario Independent School District Student Code of Conduct. Accessed November 7, 2011.
Socorro Independent School District Student Code of Conduct. Accessed November 7, 2011. Page 60.
Ysleta Independent School District Student Code of Conduct. Accessed November 8, 2011. Page. 75
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