A Wisconsin bill addressing cyber bullying is moving through the legislature after a public hearing by the Senate Committee on Education.
Recently, schools
have begun expanding anti-bullying policies to cover cyber-bullying as well. Cyber-bullying
has become a large problem throughout the country and has long-lasting effects
on its victims. School districts are now required by law to have an
anti-bullying policy of some sort.
The bill in
proposal requires a school’s policy to include a specific definition for
bullying through electronic devices such as texting and social networking. The
policy also contains a statement in regards to bullying that occurs off school
property, “if the bullying creates a hostile environment at school for the
pupil being bullied or substantially disrupts the orderly operation of a school
or school-sponsored event.”
A middle school
teacher from the northern part of Wisconsin said, “It’s difficult to determine
what can be considered school business and not school business. But how do we
draw the line? The closer we get to figuring out that line, the more proactive
we can be.” The existing law on bullying does not clarify that schools can and
should take action against cyber bullying that includes Facebook, twitter and
even texting when it creates a hostile environment for educational facilities.
State Senator Tim
Cullen says, “This bill is necessary for Wisconsin Law to catch up to current
technology.” He adds, “A threatening or abusive private email can be painfully
harassing enough, but a public harassment post for everyone to see can have
much more detrimental effects.”
Schoolteachers and
officials, police officers, and physicians gave testimony in favor of the
urgency of this bill. In order to add testimony to the importance of the cause,
Dr. Zorba Pastor, a well known physician, asked his audience to crumple a piece
of paper, then asked them to flatten the paper again, to show point being, that
it was not possible to get the piece of paper as flat and smooth as it was
before.
