School principal responsibilities in student harassment and online threats

¶ … actions from the perspective of the principal and determine the proper courses of action dealing with issues of student harassment and ethical issues related to this topic.

It is necessary to investigate Julia's claim regarding the threatening email she received. The tone of the harassment is very serious and demonstrates a problem within the school. Proper school procedures should be followed in this case which involves interviewing all parties involved including parents, Julia, and those students in the library. The violent nature of the threat requires a response in this case.

If the investigation revealed that the threat to Julia was created by a known student at home through his computer, the nature of the threat creates a different dynamic because the offense did not necessarily occur on campus. The Supreme Court of the United States is currently weighing the legality of this issue in Elonis v United States and a legal precedent will soon be established perhaps to offer more guidance. "One of the confounding factors here is that the court hasn't yet looked at the question of true threats through the lens of modern technology. Those urging the court to take the case argued that speeches at rallies and even cross burnings are fundamentally different from YouTube postings or tweets. This case is not only crucially important in that it will force the court to clarify its own "true threats" doctrine and finally apply it to social media to determine whether -- as Justice Stephen Breyer has suggested -- the whole world is a crowded theater," (Lithwick, 2014).

Question 3

If in the course of the investigation, the student involved with the threats began to blackmail me as the principal, it would be best to recuse myself from the investigation. The state laws applicable in my state, suggest that this is the best alternative in certain situations. I would also consult an attorney as well that could offer legal advice on a personal basis.

Question 4

In New York City, Regulation a-832 explicitly addresses the issues of student harassment. This guide provides guidance on relating to bulling and the internet. This policy was created last year and is useful because it does address certain polices regarding social media and facebook. The regulation does not provide a clear definition of bullying and harassment leaving some subjective judgment up to the principal which may cause distortions and problems with the laws.

Question 6

The case of Elonis v The United States, appears to be the most prescient court case that impacts this discussion. If the court decided that cyberbullying is not protected in this case, the offending student may be prosecuted for crimes. If not, the school may still offer disciplinary action due to other statutes. The blackmail issue may directly apply in this case due to the nature of expression. The intent of the student dictates the level of crime.