New Hampshire’s Cyberbullying Law, upcoming Cyberbullying Conference post thumbnail

New Hampshire’s Cyberbullying Law, upcoming Cyberbullying Conference

New Hampshire is one of the states whose cyberbullying law (passed earlier this year) we applaud. Specifically, House Bill 1523 asserts the following: I. Bullying or cyberbullying shall occur when an action or communication as defined in RSA 193-F:3: (a) Occurs on, or is delivered to, school property or a school-sponsored activity or event on […]

Most Cyberbullying Cases Aren’t Criminal post thumbnail

Most Cyberbullying Cases Aren’t Criminal

Many of you perhaps already saw the brief comments I wrote for the New York Times Opinion Page in the aftermath of Tyler Clementi’s tragic suicide.  They asked me to comment on the extent to which this incident was typical of many cyberbullying cases that end in suicide and whether or not criminal action against […]

Most Cyberbullying Cases Aren’t Criminal post thumbnail

Most Cyberbullying Cases Aren’t Criminal

Many of you perhaps already saw the brief comments I wrote for the New York Times Opinion Page in the aftermath of Tyler Clementi’s tragic suicide.  They asked me to comment on the extent to which this incident was typical of many cyberbullying cases that end in suicide and whether or not criminal action against […]

Cyberbullying Laws and School Policy: A Blessing or Curse? post thumbnail

Cyberbullying Laws and School Policy: A Blessing or Curse?

Many schools are now in a difficult position of having to respond to a mandate to have a cyberbullying policy, without much guidance from the state about the circumstances under which they can (or must) respond.  When folks ask me if I think there needs to be a “cyberbullying law” I basically respond by saying […]

Patterson v. Hudson Overturned post thumbnail

Patterson v. Hudson Overturned

Back in March I wrote about this case, where a federal jury had ordered the Hudson Area School District in Michigan to pay $800,000 in damages to a student who was repeatedly harassed by classmates (and allegedly staff) for a period of several years.  A federal district court had been reviewing the facts of the […]

The Current State of Cyberbullying Laws post thumbnail

The Current State of Cyberbullying Laws

It is imperative that everyone who works with youth, but especially law enforcement officers, stay up-to-date on the ever-evolving state and local laws concerning online behaviors, and equip themselves with the skills and knowledge to intervene as necessary. In recent survey of approximately 500 school resource officers from around the United States, we found that […]

Is Cyberbullying Simply an Expression of Free Speech? post thumbnail

Is Cyberbullying Simply an Expression of Free Speech?

A colleague of mine recently posed the following questions after listening to my recent interview on Wisconsin Public Radio: Q:  If a student were bullying someone & claimed they had the right of freedom of speech to say whatever they want, how would you respond? Q:  If a public official felt they were being bullied […]

Criminal Charges Filed Against Bullies in Phoebe Prince Case post thumbnail

Criminal Charges Filed Against Bullies in Phoebe Prince Case

It is not often that students are charged in criminal court for their participation in bullying.  But that is what happened this week.  As has been well-publicized, 15-year-old Phoebe Prince of South Hadley, Massachusetts, committed suicide in January after experiencing extreme levels of bullying from her classmates.  After conducting a thorough investigation, District Attorney Elizabeth […]

Schools Have a Responsibility to Proactively Stop Bullying post thumbnail

Schools Have a Responsibility to Proactively Stop Bullying

A federal jury recently ordered the Hudson Area School District (Michigan) to pay $800,000 in damages to a student who endured years of emotional, physical, and sexual bullying.  Dane Patterson was in middle school when the bullying began as simple name calling and verbal harassment.  It escalated in high school and included being pushed into […]