May
18

Legislature approves bill to crack down on bullying in schools

Mike Tully on May 18th, 2012

AUGUSTA, Maine — A bill that toughens Maine’s stance on bullying in schools won legislative approval this week after months of revisions.

The measure, LD 1237, provides educators and administrators with a clear definition of bullying, explicitly forbids bullying behavior, offers schools alternative discipline strategies, and outlines prevention policies and training for teachers.

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May
18

Norton school bully survey shows more incidents than actually reported (MA)

Mike Tully on May 18th, 2012

NORTON – Many students who feel bullied at school are still not reporting the abuse to teachers or administrators, with some saying the taunts and teasing occurs within supposedly safe confines of the classroom, according to a recently released survey of students.

Jennifer O’Neill, the district’s curriculum director, presented the school committee with the survey results this week.

The most recent survey comes after a baseline survey in October.

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May
18

Studies on Multitasking Highlight Value of Self-Control

Mike Tully on May 18th, 2012

For a generation of children immersed in technology, emerging research suggests that while the temptation to multitask may be pervasive, the ability to control it could be the real bellwether of academic success.

Those under 18 multitask more often and more extensively than previous generations, says Larry D. Rosen, the author of the 2012 book iDisorder: Understanding Our Obsession With Technology and Overcoming Its Hold on Us. On average, he found, 13- to 18-year-olds use more than six types of media simultaneously during out-of-school time.

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May
17

Girls face ‘sexting’ threat from peers

Mike Tully on May 17th, 2012

A report commissioned by the NSPCC, conducted in collaboration with King’s College London, reveals the level that ‘sexting’ has reached among teenagers, with schoolgirls facing increasing pressure to provide sexually explicit pictures of themselves, a threat that appears to come from friends and peers rather than strangers.

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Cyberbullying, Research No comments »
May
16

Parent bullies a ‘growing trend’ (AU)

Mike Tully on May 16th, 2012

Teachers are increasingly being bullied, yelled at, and in rarer cases, physically assaulted by some assertive parents who believe they have an ”inalienable right to scream and demand things for their children,” the NSW Teachers Federation says.

More than 80 per cent of the 2500 teachers and school staff surveyed say they have been bullied by parents, according to research in a new book by academics, Deirdre Duncan, Dan Riley and John Edwards.

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May
16

School district plans community discussions about bullying (MN)

Mike Tully on May 16th, 2012

Rochester schools Superintendent Michael Muñoz said the district is in the early stages of planning public meetings that would focus and encourage a community-wide discussion on the looming problem of bullying in the schools.

“I’ve had some conversations with our community partners, and I think we’re looking at some type of World Cafe-type discussions inviting our community to come and talk about this,” Muñoz said Tuesday at a regular meeting of the Rochester School Board. The district recently used World Cafe discussions to develop a strategic plan.

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May
15

So How Do We Talk About This?

Mike Tully on May 15th, 2012

When Children See Internet Pornography

PARENTS have learned to expect, and often dread, two sex talks with their children: the early lesson about the “birds and the bees” and the more delicate discussion of how to navigate a healthy sexual life as a young adult.

But now they are wrestling with a third: the pornography talk.

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May
14

Springfield mother charged with harassment, accused of cyberbullying a 14-year-old on Facebook

Mike Tully on May 14th, 2012

Springfield police say a mother threatened to kill a 14-year-old girl on Facebookusing racial slurs. Officers say the woman’s son had a child with the young girl. The teenager who is referred to only by her initials in court documents told officers she posted that Crystal Smith’s son did not call or visit their child on Christmas. After that post, police say Smith sent a lengthy, threatening message to the 14-year-old.

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May
14

Orie: Make cyber bullying a crime in state (PA)

Mike Tully on May 14th, 2012

High technology has gotten ahead of state law when it comes to Internet abuse involving children hassling other children, and one state senator hopes to do something about it.

A new generation of middle and high school students is using computers to intimidate classmates and create phony Web sites that subject them to public ridicule.

“This is a new level than what we saw in our generation,” said state Sen. Jane Orie, R-Bradford Woods.

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Cyberbullying, Laws No comments »
May
13

Romney hair-cutting prank: School leaders say similar incidents today would bring punishment

Mike Tully on May 13th, 2012

Many of today’s principals would be likely to throw the book at a student who pinned down a classmate and clipped his hair, as Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney did as a high school senior in 1965.

Romney was not disciplined at the time. If such an attack happened in the public schools of 2012, it would probably lead to suspension and might also be referred for expulsion, a number of local school leaders said following a Washington Post report of the incident involving Romney.

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