NCSS Rules on Bullying: The term "bullying" means an act which occurs on school property, on school vehicles, at school bus stops or at school related functions or activities, or by use of data or software that is accessed through a computer, computer system, computer network, or other electronic technology of a local school system, that is:
1. Any willful attempt or threat to inflict injury on another person,
when accompanied by an apparent present ability to do so;
2. Any intentional display of force such as would give the victim
reason to fear or expect immediate bodily hard; or
3. Any intentional written, verbal or physical act, which a reasonable person
would perceive as being intended to threaten, harass or intimidate, that:
• Causes another person substantial physical harm within the meaning of Code Section 16-5-23.1
or visible bodily harm as such term is defined in Code Section 16-5-23.1;
• Has the effect of substantially interfering with a student's education;
• Is so severe, persistent or pervasive that it creates an intimidating or threatening educational environment;
• Has the effect of substantially disrupting the orderly operation of the school.
First offense and second offense: Penalty at the discretion of the administrator which may include but not limited to ISS or suspension. Third offense: Suspension to a formal hearing.
If the hearing officer or tribunal finds that a student, in grades 6-12, has committed three offenses of bullying (as defined above) during the same school year, the student will be assigned to the alternative school.A BILL
Megan Meier Cyberbullying Prevention Act:
To amend title 18, United States Code, with respect to cyberbullying.
• Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
• This Act may be cited as the ‘Megan Meier Cyberbullying Prevention Act.'
SEC. 3. CYBERBULLYING.
• (a) In General- Chapter 41 of title 18, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following:
Sec. 881. Cyberbullying
• (a) Whoever transmits in interstate or foreign commerce any communication, with the intent to coerce, intimidate, harass, or cause substantial emotional distress to a person, using electronic means to support severe, repeated, and hostile behavior, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than two years, or both.
• (b) As used in this section -
• (1) the term `communication' means the electronic transmission, between or among points specified by the user, of information of the user's choosing, without change in the form or content of the information as sent and received; and
• (2) the term `electronic means' means any equipment dependent on electrical power to access an information service, including e-mail, instant messaging, blogs, websites, telephones, and text messages.
Ten tips to prevent cyber bullying:
1. Establish that all rules for interacting with people in real life also apply for interacting online or through cell phones. Convey that cyber bullying inflicts harm and causes pain in the real world as well as in cyberspace.
2. Make sure your school has Internet safety educational programming in place. This should not solely cover the threat of sexual predators, but also how to prevent and respond to online peer harassment, interact wisely through social networking sites, and engage in responsible and ethical online communications.
3. Educate your children about appropriate Internet-based behaviors. Explain to them the problems that can be created when technology is misused (e.g., damaging their reputation, getting in trouble at school or with the police).
4. Model appropriate technology usage. Don't harass or joke about others while online, especially around your children. Don't text while driving. Your kids are watching and learning.
5. Monitor your child's activities while they are online. This can be done informally (through active participation in, and supervision of, your child's online experience) and formally (through software). Use discretion when covertly spying on your kids. This could cause more harm than good if your child feels their privacy has been violated. They may go completely underground with their online behaviors and deliberately work to hide their actions from you.
6. Use filtering and blocking software as a part of a comprehensive approach to online safety, but understand software programs alone will not keep kids safe or prevent them from bullying others or accessing inappropriate content. Most tech-savvy youth can figure out ways around filters very quickly.
7. Look for warning signs that something abnormal is going on with respect to their technology usage. If your child becomes withdrawn or their Internet use becomes obsessive, they could either be a victim or a perpetrator of cyber bullying.
8. Utilize an "Internet Use Contract" and a "Cell Phone Use Contract" to foster a crystal-clear understanding about what is appropriate and what is not with respect to the use of communications technology. To remind the child of this pledged commitment, we recommend that these contracts be posted in a highly visible place (e.g., next to the computer).
9. Cultivate and maintain an open, candid line of communication with your children, so that they are ready and willing to come to you whenever they experience something unpleasant or distressing in cyberspace. Victims of cyber bullying (and the bystanders who observe it) must know for sure that the adults who they tell will intervene rationally and logically and not make the situation worse.
10. Teach and reinforce positive morals and values about how others should be treated with respect and dignity.
Source: Cyber Bullying Research Center
"I have zero friends," the 15-year-old, whose last name was withheld to protect her from further bullying, said in a telephone conversation earlier this month. "And it's not like I had these friends and we got into a fight or anything. I just have never had them here. Kids make fun of everything about me."
Leslie said that she is mocked for her hair, her accent, the way she dresses, even for the picture of her boyfriend (who lives in her hometown) that she keeps with her at all times.
"I used to be popular but now I get all these texts about how ugly I am and how I need to go back to where I'm from," she said. "But they aren't saying it nice like that at all. They're cussing and stuff."
Leslie's case isn't an isolated one. With the popularity of social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter and the increase in teenagers with cell phones, bullying has gone from taunting on the bus and in the hallways to vicious texts and wall posts. And although the Newton County School System has a strict policy against bullying, students are hesitant to tell on one another or to admit to adults that they are having problems like this at all. It's called "cyber bullying" and it is happening more often than parents and teachers know, according to several students who refused to be identified for fear of even more harassment.
"I try to shake it off," said Leslie. "Like, I try to ignore it at school, ‘cause the kids will sometimes say things to me, like under their breath. But when I'm at home and my phone is constantly going off and it's all this crap about how ugly I am and how they're going to beat me up and stuff. It just sucks."
Cyber bulling isn't new, but it's just starting to become more recognized by adults, especially since the 2006 suicide in Missouri of 13-year-old Megan Meier, who killed herself as aresult of cyber bullying. A bill pending in Congress, the Megan Meier Cyber Bullying Prevention Act, is gaining momentum as more stories about the potentially deadly results of cyber bulling arise. Earlier this year 15-year-old Phoebe Prince, who had recently moved from Ireland to Massachusetts, killed herself after being a victim of cyber bullies.
For 13-year-old Tiffany, it's all about a boy, according to her, a boy she doesn't like and who "isn't even cute."
"I started talking to this guy but we weren't even talking like that," she said in an e-mail, indicating that although they were speaking on friendly terms, she wasn't romantically interested in him. "But he was in some of my classes and he seemed alright. I knew he had a girlfriend but that was fine because we were just friends...but then she got all mad at me, thinking I was trying to steal her boyfriend. Even though I've told her a bunch of times that it isn't like that, she still won't believe me. And now all of her friends are talking about me too."
Tiffany, whose real name was withheld, said that she had to delete one Facebook account and change her phone number once because of the harassment and that every time she logged on there were messages from other girls calling her names.
"I told her boyfriend to tell her that we were just friends, but she doesn't believe him," said Tiffany. "I told my mom about it, but I don't want to tell the school because I don't want to have any more drama."
Georgia lawmakers passed a law during the last legislative session that redefined "bullying" for the purposes of school disciplinary action, according to Newton County School System Director of Public Relations Sherri Davis-Viniard. Because that definition was changed after student handbooks had already gone out and parents had already signed the disciplinary code of conduct, a copy of the new definition of bullying has gone out to all parents of Newton County students. There are consequences for each incident of bullying, including in-school suspension and a tribunal.
For Tiffany's mother, going to an administrator about the cyber bullying her daughter is receiving isn't an option, even if those doing the bullying could potentially be punished for it.
"It would just make it worse," she explained. "It will eventually blow over, I'm sure, and going to the principal is just giving those girls more ammunition to go after my daughter."
According to Newton County Sheriff's Office Investigator Sharron Stewart, the county has no law against bullying, but cyber bullying can fall under other crimes, such as terroristic threats or stalking.
"Sometimes juveniles think they can do anything and get away with it because they are juveniles," said Stewart. "But we will prosecute juveniles as well. Cyber bullying is certainly not something that will be tolerated by the Newton County Sheriff's Office or the District Attorney's Office."
Detective Daniel Seals with the Covington Police Department echoed Stewart's statements, saying the department didn't see many cases of cyber bullying, but that five years ago, they didn't see cases involving cyber bullying at all. Both Stewart and Seals said that many students may not want to tell their parents and they certainly don't want to bring it to law enforcement for fear of making things worse.
That is certainly the case with 17-year-old Jason, whose identity was withheld, who said that his parents don't know it goes on and he doesn't want them to know.
"If they knew, they would go to the school cause that's just how they are," he said earlier this month. "But it doesn't really even bother me anymore. I mean, I know that most people don't like me, so when I get texts saying that people hate me, it isn't like it's a huge surprise: I hear it all day long.
"When I get people posting things online about me, I just delete it. Sometimes it bothers me a little, but not a lot because I know the people who make fun of me do it because they're losers. Who makes fun of someone because they're smart? Who makes fun of people because they like to study? People who have nothing better to do than watch MTV and talk bad about everyone else. Everyone is miserable in high school. I'm almost done with it and I think even though I get made fun of all the time, I am probably the least miserable of everyone there. I don't have friends, but when these kids are pumping my gas one day, it won't matter what they said about me in high school."
According to the NCSS, proof of electronic bullying can be brought to school administrators who will address the situation, but students have to come forward about the abuse in order for that to take place.