Drive Out Cyberbullying from Schools

It is certainly desirable to see schools adopt cyber safety guidelines and address threats such as cyberbullying in a responsible manner. When it comes to cyberbullying, schools are often linked to the incidents because the victim and the bully are likely to be students of the same academic community. What begins as a friendly post on a school community page can spread to chat rooms and eventually even lead to fights. 

How can your school be made into a safe zone for kids so that cyberbullying is checked and healthy relationships between students thrive? 

Here are a few pointers to evaluate your school’s current program concerning its robustness and effectiveness: 

• Does the school have a formal policy against cyberbullying? It could be part of what the school stands for in terms of cyber safety initiatives. 
• If the answer to the above question is ‘Yes', is this policy communicated to all the primary stakeholders – namely students, parents, and teachers? is it mentioned or found in the school's handbook or website? Has it been discussed during the Parent-Teacher meetings? 
• Does your school have a clear process for handling incidents of cyberbullying? Does the student know who they can reach out to and what they need to do should they be facing a challenge themselves? Are teachers made aware so that they can guide students in the right direction?  

Schools should conduct counseling sessions for handling incidents of cyberbullying with parents and collectively decide upon best practices to be implemented both at home and school to protect the child from online threats. So the following need to be addressed:  

• Schools should adopt a proactive approach to handle incidents such as maintaining up-to-date behavioral management documents and ICT acceptable usage guidelines.  
• Is fair play ensured for all investigations of cyberbullying and is the disciplinary process transparent to parents and students? 
• Banning technology can only give limited control which might reduce the occurrence of incidents on campus. However, the problem is not addressed if the behavior is not addressed. So does your school have counselors who can work with children to address their behavioral issues and bring lasting changes? 
• If an incident does occur, is the school prepared to handle it seriously and with appropriate consideration? Is there a defined protocol to handle cyberbullying incidents? 
• Pictures and photographs are a big part of the way kids bully each other when they’re teenagers and the results can extend into their adulthood. So, does the school have a social media policy? Are digital devices permitted and are children advised on how to use them and benefit from them? Schools should have media policies to govern student’s online behavior and parents should be made aware of these policies. Also, students should be educated on the dos and don’ts of online behavior. 
• Parents are the major influencers in a child’s life. Does the school consider it important to discuss with parents the consequences of cyberbullying and the disciplinary action the child is likely to face if he or she indulges in the same bad online behavior? 
• Does the school conduct awareness workshops with parents and students, and do what is necessary to help children become aware of their rights and responsibilities? If so, is it reviewed for effectiveness? Schools should conduct awareness workshops on a regular basis (annually) for students, parents, and educators. These workshops and campaigns should explore the current online problems and the solutions implemented to address such problems. 

These are just some of the aspects to evaluate how well your school is prepared to address the challenge of cyber-bullying and how you can influence these areas in a positive manner.