I have no doubt this law will result in absurd consequences and much more injustice than justice. Good intentions but I have huge concerns about the practical effects.
The Vermilion Parish School Board’s Education Committee met Monday night to discuss the proposed revisions of the 2010- 2011 Vermilion Parish School Board Student/Parent Handbook, with one revision on bullying included to comply with state law which now extends to cyber bullying.Cyber bullying is harassment, intimidation or bullying of a student on school property by another student using a computer, mobile phone or other interactive or digital technology; or harassment, intimidation or bullying of a student while off school property by another student using any means when the action or actions are intended to have an effect on the student when the student is on school property.“It’s opened the door and given us a lot more of a burden, because now we’re responsible for investigating,” Supervisor of Transportation Lonnie Richard said. “We’ll make special forms with Mr. Woody (Calvin Woodruff). We’ll get together to make special forms for kids to report the problem if somebody is at their house bullying them, and bring it to school. In other words, the child who is a victim of this, they come to school and it bothers them and it affects their work, then we have to act.”.......................
The Vermilion Parish School Board’s Education Committee met Monday night to discuss the proposed revisions of the 2010- 2011 Vermilion Parish School Board Student/Parent Handbook, with one revision on bullying included to comply with state law which now extends to cyber bullying.Cyber bullying is harassment, intimidation or bullying of a student on school property by another student using a computer, mobile phone or other interactive or digital technology; or harassment, intimidation or bullying of a student while off school property by another student using any means when the action or actions are intended to have an effect on the student when the student is on school property.“It’s opened the door and given us a lot more of a burden, because now we’re responsible for investigating,” Supervisor of Transportation Lonnie Richard said. “We’ll make special forms with Mr. Woody (Calvin Woodruff). We’ll get together to make special forms for kids to report the problem if somebody is at their house bullying them, and bring it to school. In other words, the child who is a victim of this, they come to school and it bothers them and it affects their work, then we have to act.”.......................
5 comments:
I pay attention to this issue because one of my children was the first child to experience cyberbullying at the LSU Lab School (elementary). My wife and I felt the school failed spectacularly to defend our daughter and deal with the students involved. She became increasingly miserable and her grades dropped. I still have in my office files printouts of the web pages in question. Friendships (with other school parents) ended over this and we eventually pulled both kids out (of the single hardest school in Baton Rouge to get into) and moved them into the public school system where they continue to thrive academically and socially. Which says something.
I appreciate the legitimate concerns about such laws and their unintended consequences. So I'm not disagreeing with you at all. But I have seen what bullying can do to a child. It's heartbreaking. I went through it myself living in England but dealt with it rather differently. I lived in fear of some kids. But also learned to make other kids live in fear of me.
Rick I see where you come from and I am saying this as a kid that was often the object of abuse. It was painful no doubt
It is is a horrible fact but kids can be cruel cruel cruel cruel. I don;t why this is so. I was the object of it. However it is amazing in adulthood some of these guys and girls that bullied me are my friends now. This transformation often just occrued within a year or so out of high school.
Lord I look with what I did to some kids at horror now and I look like like a monster. I recognized that by the time I was 20. What caused that observation I am not sure but time does play a factor.
I suppose I take my viewpoint on how "no tolerance" toward school violence (fights etc) and stuf has been handled over the recentyears. Besides parents and teachers handling it they give to law enforcement which sends kids to JAIL on things that in my age was handled by the teachers. On the whole I think that has been a overall negative.
SO there is no easy answer. I guess one of my main objections is this law seems very very very vague. Can just the average cruel things that children have to handle that are a part of that awkward stage of socialization on both sides now be a criminal manner.
Again in many ways I know where you are coming from because I was the object of a lot of that. But looking back to think a bunch and 15 and 16 years old girls and boys should be put in jail over it seems to be absurd looking back.
It is a tough issue but I don't think putting this in the criminal justice system is going to help anything
Let me add are my concerns that the legal/penal system these potential offenders can be tossed into depending where you are at is often horrid
I won't disagree with you. Great points. Our frustration with the LSU Lab School was their failure to deal with it even administratively. I would agree that making it a criminal case would have been excessive.
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