Student Cyberbullying Project
HELPING SCHOOL PERSONNEL CONTROL STUDENT MISUSE OF ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATION DEVICES ON AND OFF-CAMPUS - SEPTEMBER 2011
Educators are working to capitalize on student familiarization with electronic communication devices (ECDs) by incorporating them in teaching, learning, and communicating. ECDs include computers, pagers, cell phones, smartphones, portable game units, graphing calculators, and similar mechanisms. Many of these devices enable users to communicate directly or through social networking sites such as Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, and Friendster.
Student use of ECDs at school and away from school can be abused. Using a cell phone to take pictures in a school locker room, to cheat on a classroom test, or to engage in cyberbullying of other students are examples. Student misuse of ECDs poses new challenges for school personnel to impose discipline. This is particularly true for off-campus misuse, given student free speech rights in using their own devices away from school.
The law is evolving in this area, and much uncertainty exists. The purpose of this website is help school personnel in California and other states understand the issues involved in ECD use and prepare policies and discipline rules accordingly.
Included are the following resources (click on the title to access):
- Free speech and privacy dimensions of student misuse of their own electronic communication devices
- Model school district policy governing ECD use
- Model student discipline rules (SHORT and LONG versions)
- Resources for learning about student use of electronic communication devices
Link to Education Week Article: Framework Crafted for Student Use of Mobile Devices
Link to SignonSanDiego Interview with Frank Kemerer: Is Cyberbullying Out of Control?
Link to School Leadership Briefing Interview with Frank Kemerer: Electronic Communication Devices and School Policies
