SUBSTANTIAL Disruption » Speech

Bullying legislation prompts opposition from conservative groups

Mike Tully — Tue, 22 May 2012 14:21:09 +0000

A new bill in Illinois would require schools to adopt anti-bullying policies, but the Illinois Family Institute and Concerned Christians of America say that the law would challenge certain students’ religious and moral beliefs.

Some Illinois conservatives fear their children are about to face an assault on their morals and religious beliefs. They worry that state lawmakers will muzzle students who hold unpopular opinions and force them into indoctrination sessions.

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Rally against bullying held in WHS student’s memory

Mike Tully — Tue, 22 May 2012 14:18:59 +0000

The word was love. The color was blue, a symbol of peace and serenity.

About 250 parents, students and other citizens clothed in every hue of blue gathered Monday in front of Watertown High School to protest against the emotional destruction caused by bullies.

Last week, rally organizer and Jefferson Community College student Patrick M. Fleming created a Facebook “event” calling for people to write “love” on their arms in memory of Erin K. Foley, a Watertown High senior who committed suicide last Tuesday.

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So How Do We Talk About This?

Mike Tully — Tue, 15 May 2012 13:49:46 +0000

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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How to Create Social Media Guidelines for Your School

Mike Tully — Wed, 09 May 2012 14:16:36 +0000

Social media is fast becoming as ubiquitous as the air we breathe. In recent months, many schools and districts around the country have taken steps to create social media policies and guidelines for their students and staff. In my work with several districts to draft these documents, I have seen many approaches that work well, and some that don’t.

That said, there is no silver bullet for administrators; every school, district, and state has a different set of circumstances. With that in mind, here are some steps that will help you determine the best approach for your own community.

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Consumer Reports advocates for a law, not so much for consumers

Mike Tully — Wed, 09 May 2012 14:14:39 +0000

Consumer Reports has a Facebook page, it reports on the third page of its June cover story on privacy in social media. Along with some 900 million other people and organizations around the world who use Facebook, CR apparently derives some benefit from having that page. It also reports that…

•“Facebook recently partnered with the Department of Labor and others to help connect job seekers and employers, developing systems to make job postings viral.
•When tornadoes hit the Midwest and Texas this year, photos of animals posted on Facebook helped families find lost pets.
•The network keeps active-duty soldiers in touch with families, including a National Guardsman serving in Afghanistan who not only reconnected with the woman who later became his wife but now uses it to follow the daily milestones of his newborn daughter.
•And millions now turn to Facebook to express their opinions to government and businesses, flexing their collective muscle in ways never possible before.”
But all that comes after the “many causes for concern” that represent two pages of disservice, not help, to US consumers.

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Indiana mom sends son to school with stun gun to confront bullies

Mike Tully — Mon, 07 May 2012 16:24:01 +0000

(CNN) — An Indiana mother who sent her gay son to school with a stun gun after administrators apparently didn’t do enough to stop the bullying against him said she would do it again — even though the teen now faces expulsion.

“I do not promote violence — not at all — but what is a parent to do when she has done everything that she felt she was supposed to do … at the school?” the mother, Chelisa Grimes, told CNN’s Don Lemon on Sunday. “I did feel like there was nothing else left for me to do, but protect my child.”

The school district held an expulsion hearing last week but no decision has been announced.

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You’ve Seen ‘Bully’ – What Comes Next?

Mike Tully — Fri, 04 May 2012 14:13:50 +0000

Since it opened nationwide last month, “Bully” has captured national attention and sparked conversations as moviegoers realize just how serious and prevalent bullying is in today’s society. The film, said NEA President Dennis Van Roekel, “has been a jarring wake-up call.”

For Deb Crerie, an educator in Virginia, ”Bully” reinforces the fact that everyone – teachers, administrators, parents – have to act when they see bullying and not wait to see how badly it can turn out.

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Social Media Rules Limit New York Student-Teacher Contact

Mike Tully — Wed, 02 May 2012 14:13:15 +0000

New York City public schoolteachers may not contact students through personal pages on Web sites like Facebook and Twitter, but can communicate via pages set up for classroom use, the city’s Education Department said on Tuesday after it released its first list of guidelines governing the use of social media by employees.

The guidelines do not ban teachers from using social media and, in fact, recognize that it can offer tremendous educational benefits.

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Teen Sues Over Facebook Bullying

Mike Tully — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 14:07:54 +0000

A teenager in Georgia has decided to take things into her own hands after her school and police said they could do nothing about the classmates bullying her on Facebook.

Fourteen-year-old Alex Boston and her parents are filing suit against two classmates and their parents for libel after the two classmates allegedly created a fake Facebook account in her name, using a photo of her that they distorted. The account was also used to post a racist video to YouTube that implied that Boston hated African-Americans, and to leave crude comments on the Facebook pages of other friends, suggesting she was sexually active and smoked marijuana.

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Hudson student’s severe beating recorded for YouTube (CA)

Mike Tully — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 03:35:54 +0000

MONTREAL – Marshall Brooks’s cheekbone was broken in two places and his eye socket shattered when one of his classmates gave him a vicious beating last week just outside their Westwood Senior High School yard.

But what was most horrifying to the seasoned police officers and school principal who viewed video footage of the attack in Hudson is that not one of the 50 or so students looking on tried to stop the beating or bothered to call 911.

Instead, they captured the action on their cellphones, eager to upload the drama to the Web. Only after the damage was done did someone step in.

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