CHAPTER
11: TOP TEN RULES THAT GOVERN SCHOOL AUTHORITY OVER STUDENT CYBER EXPRESSIONS
Chapter eleven
presents ten rules that cover a range of issues when dealing with student
expression by way of technological means. With these ten rules, the authors
discuss important topics such as First Amendment applications, censorship
permissibility, inappropriateness, regulations of time, place and manner of
expressions, and threats and criminal activity. Basically the authors touch on
areas where questions might arise about what is allowable and what isn’t when
student expression is presented by way of technological means.
This chapter was
interesting. I found it encouraging that schools do have the ability to
intervene and censor material. Even though I feel that First Amendment rights
are so very important, I believe it is also very important to make students
aware that those rights are not just inclusive of what they want to say but
that those rights pertain to what someone else wants (or more likely) doesn’t
want to be exposed to. I found Rule 8 to be a bit concerning. It basically
states that off-campus expressions can not be regulated by schools unless it
disrupts school-related activities. Maybe I am misunderstanding something, but
this, I think is where true cyber-bullying occurs. It is in the “My-Space” and
“Facebook” pages, that are not school sanctioned, where this bullying takes
place. I guess, maybe I am misreading this, because in one chapter we talk
about how to keep this from happening, but then in this chapter it feels like
basically we are being told that school’s can’t do anything about it.?????
If it happens in school, I believe the school can do something about it. If it happens outside of school, just like any form of bullying outside of school, someone else has to handle it.
ReplyDeleteCyberbullying, like real bullying, causes harm, impedes freedom and, when severe, is illegal. Authorities can get involved both and outside of schools.
I think that section exists to tell school when it is no longer their jurisdiction rather than saying that they cannot contact authoirities about threats affecting their students. At least that was my understanding/logic.
Good way to think about it, Russ. I think it would be interesting to see how much cyber task forces have grown over the last few years. I would find it interesting to see how they track the information needed to stop bullying.
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