Student Cyberbullying: School Response and Legal Frameworks
This paper examines how school administrators should respond to a student cyberbullying incident involving a threatening Facebook page. It covers the investigation process for identifying a perpetrator, appropriate disciplinary actions under school policy and state law, First Amendment considerations, and the creation of fake social media content targeting staff. The paper also evaluates the strengths and weaknesses of existing school anti-bullying policies, proposes a professional development activity for teachers focused on digital harassment, and highlights New Jersey's Anti-Bullying Bill of Rights as a model legislative response. The paper concludes with recommendations for improving virtual behavior guidelines and teacher preparedness.
- Introduction: Overview of student harassment and case context
- Investigating the Cyberbullying Claim: Steps for investigating the Facebook threat claim
- Course of Action When the Perpetrator Is a Known Student: Disciplinary options and First Amendment considerations
- Fake Photographs Targeting School Staff: School response to staff-targeted fake social media content
- School Anti-Bullying Policies and Procedures: Evaluating strengths and gaps in existing school policy
- Professional Development for Teachers on Cyberbullying: Proposed teacher training on digital harassment
- State Law: New Jersey's Anti-Bullying Bill of Rights: New Jersey legislation as a model anti-bullying law
- Conclusion: Summary of findings and recommendations
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What makes this paper effective
- The paper grounds its analysis in a concrete case scenario, making abstract legal and policy principles tangible and easier to evaluate.
- It systematically addresses multiple stakeholders — students, teachers, administrators, and law enforcement — giving the response plan practical breadth.
- The inclusion of a specific state law (New Jersey's Anti-Bullying Bill of Rights) anchors the policy discussion in real legislative precedent, strengthening the argument's credibility.
Key academic technique demonstrated
The paper effectively uses applied policy analysis: it introduces a fact pattern, maps it onto existing legal and institutional frameworks, and derives specific recommended actions at each decision point. This case-to-policy reasoning is a core skill in education administration writing.
Structure breakdown
The paper opens with an introduction establishing the importance of the topic, then moves through the investigation process, disciplinary options, and First Amendment tensions. It evaluates existing school policy, proposes a teacher training activity, reviews relevant state legislation, and closes with a synthesis conclusion. Each section builds logically on the one before, following a problem–analysis–solution structure common in education policy papers.
Introduction
Student harassment is one of the major issues in today's schools and requires the attention of school principals, administrators, and staff. A school's administration should establish measures for preventing and addressing student harassment. This is critical because legal issues involving student-on-student harassment are typically highly fact-specific and vary widely from case to case. The scenario examined in this paper involves a student-on-student harassment case in which a student received an email linking to a Facebook page featuring her photo with gun crosshairs over her face. This paper examines that harassment claim and considers how school administration should respond.
Investigating the Cyberbullying Claim
Although the student does not know who created the Facebook page, the school should investigate the claim. This is primarily because the incident constitutes a form of cyberbullying, which can be harmful and is widely regarded as worse than in-person bullying (Benbow, 2014). The claim should also be investigated because it represents a potential threat to the student's life and safety. Investigating the claim would entail using the school's anti-cyberbullying policy to determine the necessary course of action (Salinas et al., 2013).
Potential investigative steps include taking a screenshot or printout of the page, speaking with the student's friends to help identify the perpetrator, and notifying her parents. Failure to investigate could have significant consequences for the student and the school, including decreased self-esteem, lower academic performance, resistance to attending classes, poor student interactions, and mental health issues.
References
Benbow, D. H. (2014). Facebook bullying case disturbs school officials. USA Today. Retrieved May 9, 2021, from https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2014/02/20/facebook-bullying-case-disturbs-school-officials/5666481/
Cooper, J. (2021, February 10). Cyberbullying at school: 5 simple steps to protect students. Retrieved May 9, 2021, from https://www.campussuite.com/blog/cyberbullying-at-school-5-simple-steps-to-protect-students
Gordon, S. (2020). Understanding the legal ramifications of cyberbullying. Retrieved May 9, 2021, from
New Jersey Coalition for Bullying Awareness and Prevention. (2012). Legal issues. Retrieved May 9, 2021, from
Salinas, E., Coan, D., Ansley, S., Barton, A., McCaig, C., & Edwards, J. T. (2013). Bullying on Facebook: How it affects secondary school and college students. Undergraduate Research Journal for the Human Sciences, 12. Retrieved from https://www.kon.org/urc/v12/salinas.html
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