Cyberbullying And The First Amendment - 849 Words

An Examination of Cyberbullying and the First Amendment This paper addresses a situation in which a student notified this author that she was being subjected to bullying through another classmate’s Facebook page. A discussion of steps required by Oregon’s statutes, the Lake Oswego School District s board policies and the student handbook, will provide a basis for examining any First Amendment arguments that the bullying has raised, with a discussion of the author s First Amendment responses consistent with applicable Supreme Court cases. Required Action under Oregon Statute Recently, the Oregon legislature passed Senate Bill 1555 (2012), amending the state’s statutes surrounding issues of harassment, intimidation, bullying and cyberbullying (Oregon Department of Education, 2016). Cyberbullying is â€Å"conduct that disrupts a student’s ability to learn and a school’s ability to educate its students in a safe environment† (30 ORS  § 339.353). The Senate Bill amendments include increased accountability for public school districts, which include the mandatory adoption of a policy prohibiting acts such as harassment and cyberbullying. The policy must also include the requirement that a school employee report such an act of cyberbullying to the appropriate school administrator (Hinduja Patchin, 2016). Resultantly, the first step in this case is to report this alleged cyberbullying to the school principal. Having examined the state statute requirements for a circumstance ofShow MoreRelatedStudent Code Of Conduct And Employee Han dbook867 Words   |  4 PagesIntroduction In the wake of the suicide of 12-year old Celeste Willis in 2013, a result of alleged cyberbullying, Beaufort Country School District has taken proactive steps towards de-escalating cyberbullying in their schools. Willis was bullied on social media networks: Facebook, and Instagram, and video-sharing website YouTube. Despite her family monitoring her Internet activities neither her parents nor friends were aware she used a pseudonym on Tumblr until after her passing where repeated threatsRead MoreCyberbullying And Its Effects On Society899 Words   |  4 Pagessevere than others. One well known way is through social network. This is called cyberbullying. Cyberbullying occurs when a minor is targeted in some form-- threatened humiliated, harassed-- by another, and it is not to be confused with cyber-stalking or cyber-harassment, which involves an adult. Not limited to the internet cyberbullying can spread by cell phones or other digital devices (Surdin, 2009). Cyberbullying has cause d many disturbances within our society. Parent’s may not believe their childrenRead MoreCyberbullying And Tinker V. Des Moines Independent Community School District879 Words   |  4 PagesCyberbullying and Tinker Cyberbullying is prevalent in today s society due to the abundance of teenage students having access to the internet either on campus or off of campus. Bullying over the internet is thought of being done by students against students. Although this is true, there are many instances where students use the internet to voice their opinions about teachers and administrators in which the language is vulgar, lewd, and demeaning. As of 2015, all states in the UnitedRead MoreCyberbullying : A Cyberbullying Suicide Victim1468 Words   |  6 PagesBritney Mazzoncini: A Cyberbullying Suicide Victim â€Å"She was beautiful, so well-behaved, you couldn’t have asked for a better granddaughter.† That’s a quote from Britney’s grandparent’s days after the 16-year-old committed suicide in Scotland in July this year. The motivation? Cyberbullying! She suffered intolerable angst from an abusive Facebook â€Å"friend.† The police are still looking for the perpetrator. She is certainly not alone. The number of suicides by young people who feel depressed, scaredRead MoreCyberbullying : A Problem Of Today s Society1087 Words   |  5 PagesCyberbullying Cyberbullying is a major problem in today’s society. The recent increase in cyberbullying has become so serious; it has become a priority for many citizens to become involved in identifying risk factors and providing the necessary help. Cyberbullying is when people, specifically children, are targeted and harassed through social media and technology. Cyberbullying can happen anytime, day or night, and reach a person even when he or she is alone. â€Å"Messages and images can be posted anonymouslyRead MoreAnalysis Of The Article Girl s Suicide Points1150 Words   |  5 Pageswhich includes cyberbullying, and their punishments. With a federal law in place, all states have to abide by that one specific law. Therefore, there will be an accordance of penalties for bullying. Over the years, people proposed a federal law, but it was never passed (Kerry Kennedy, Deborah Temkin 1). Because bullying and cyberbullying show some form of expressing one’s opoinion, the Supreme Court has yet to pass a federal law. They are indecisive on whether or not cyberbullying is protected underRead MoreThe Golden Age Of Technology1244 Words   |  5 Pagesthe right to free speech, as listed in the First Amendment. The freedom of s peech grants citizens the power to say what they want without getting punished by the government. Nevertheless, there are limits to this right. The question of when the freedom of speech applies remains controversial. The Background Essay: Should Schools Be Allowed to Limit Students’ Online Speech? addresses the case Gitlow v. New York. The Supreme Court ruled that the First Amendment applies not only to the federal governmentRead MoreThe Effects Of Cyberbullying On The Internet1449 Words   |  6 Pagesresponse. Not only is cyberbullying a huge threat in present time, but it can also lead to long term effects that could permanently ruin an individual going through adulthood. Some of these devastating effects include: suicide, grades start dropping, overall school participation begins to decline, depression, and vengeance (Mirsky, E. L., Omar, H. A. 2015). The more society becomes involves in the situation, the better chance society has in creating new laws to combat cyberb ullying and the consequencesRead MoreBullying : A Land Of The Free1160 Words   |  5 Pagesto humans, this action/instinct is called, â€Å"Bullying.† Bullying takes many forms including face to face (physical and verbal harassment), written forms (mails/letters), and currently, the most widespread form of bullying apparent in students is cyberbullying (bullying with the use of electronics such as social media, texting/messages, and etc). As the Supreme Court ruled, students have limitations on their speech. These limitations apply to students’ online speech as well. Online speech means any postedRead MoreCyber Threats And Its Effect On Society1200 Words   |  5 Pagessocial media websites and they wouldn’t even have to think about it. Most common answers would be: Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat and Facebook. These are all sites where a person can communicate with others and make cyber threats. What is cyberbullying/threats? â€Å"Cyberbullying is bullying th at takes place using electronic technology. Electronic technology includes devices and equipment such as cell phones, computers, and tablets as well as communication tools including social media sites, text messages, chat