School policy responses to the issue of cyber-bullying

TL;DRAbstract

Aim: Cyber-bullying and related student acts are increasingly becoming the concern of schools. Often the policy position is to ban student use of social networking, and high risk websites. However, such a policy position may be considered to be over reactive. This paper considers legal issues related to cyber-bullying and uses these to consider school policy responses to this issue, ensuring a safe, but educative, school environment. Methods: A review of relevant case law and statues was completed to develop a framework. This framework was then used to undertake an analysis of a publicly published policy of a local Catholic secondary school. Outcomes: The selected policy highlights some key considerations for policy makers in other schools. However, it still does not account for the full range of possible outcomes, though such a position may not be necessarily problematic. Conclusions: Schools need to develop an awareness of the effects of cyber-bullying and ensure that their current p

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