So what can schools do to discipline cyberbullies?

One basic premise of cyberbullying is that the activities can occur whenever and wherever the aggressor may be. This created a gray area of hesitation for educators when the issues of punishment for an aggressor were presented, if the activities occurred outside of campus. We have previously discussed the longevity of bullying, the rise of cyberbullying, and the creation of David’s Law; now let us talk about what schools can do to punish aggressors. With the passing of David’s Law, every school district in Texas was and is required to incorporated the provisions of David’s Law into their district policies. This mandate gave schools and school districts the powers to punish cyberbullies for their transgressions. We will briefly revisit David’s Law. David’s Law is named after 16 year old David Molak who took his own life due to cyberbullying. Senate Bill 179 changed the definition of bullying in the Texas Education Code and now makes cyberbullying a punishable offense. CYBERBULLYING DEFINED UNDER DAVID’S LAW: “Cyberbullying” as defined in David’s Law means bullying arising from a pattern of acts or one significant act that is done through the use of any electronic communication device, including a cellular or other type of […]

David’s Law: What is it and who benefits?

As we have previously learned in Blog 1 “Let’s talk about cyberbullying month,” and Blog 2, “Cyberbullying, what is it,” there are actions which are considered bullying and some which are cyberbullying. Throughout the United States, cyberbullying is punishable by civil and criminal laws. In Texas, one of the methods of punishing aggressors is utilizing “David’s Law.” David’s Law was an Act initially passed as Senate Bill 179, and its codification into the Texas Education Code and Penal Code created the framework for how students who are victims of cyberbullying can be protected. But why is the law called “David’s Law?” The law is named this way because of the life it honors and the motivation behind the movement. David Bartlett Molak, age 16, took his own life on Monday, January 4, 2016, in his hometown of San Antonio, Texas. David was a son, brother, Eagle Scout and friend to many. David’s passions included hunting, fishing, professional football and playing various games with his family. In the last few months before his death, David became the repetitive target of relentless cyberbullying. The Molak family describes David’s experience as David becoming “overwhelmed with hopelessness after being continuously harassed, humiliated and threatened […]

Domestic Violence Does Not Discriminate

The most often used definition of domestic violence is a pattern of behaviors used by one partner to maintain power and control over another partner in an intimate relationship. Domestic violence does not discriminate and occurs in every race, ethnicity, socio-economic background, education, age, gender or sexual orientation. It has no age limit and can occur from teens to the elderly. According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC) nearly 1 in 5 women and nearly 1 in 7 men report having experienced severe physical violence from an intimate partner in their life- time. So basically, anyone reading this blog, is someone who has experienced domestic violence or knows someone who has, whether you know about it or not. Research has shown that domestic violence increases during times of natural disaster and the COVID-19 pandemic is a unlike anything we have experienced. During this time, victims may be unable to find shelter, go to family or friends, or even know what resources are still available to them during their time of need. Victims may be trapped with abusive partners if they lose their jobs or cannot work. In addition, minimal access to paid time off or unemployment insurance, can leave […]

Cyberbullying – What is it?

Cyberbullying has significant social, physical and psychological impacts, which is why the Center of Disease Control considers it a public health concern. Years ago, a schoolyard bully was a student’s worst nightmare; anybody born before 1990 likely can identify with this statement. Now, there’s a second, possibly more dangerous bully; cyberbullies. Cyberbullies can be obvious, remain anonymous, create fake profiles, and can strike at all hours of the day and night on multiple platforms. With minimal effort, they can threaten, taunt, harass and humiliate their target, causing severe emotional distress that, in some instances, bullying has even led to suicide. According to board certified child, adolescent and adult psychiatrists and the Center for Disease Control, suicide is the second leading cause of death for American teenagers and young adults. Cyberbullying is considered a contributing factor. But what is cyberbullying, how does it happen and how did it grow into a phenomenon? Cyberbullying is bullying that takes place using electronic technology to harass, threaten, intimidate, humiliate and target victims. Cyberbullying is basically the electronic version of bullying. It occurs when an individual engages in bullying through the use of any electronic communication device, including a phone, computer, camera, e-mail, instant message, […]

Let’s Talk About National Bullying Prevention Month!

I’d like to tell you that bullying is a new phenomenon, but history and folklore would disagree. Believe it or not, Cinderella is not a story that originated in a 1950’s Disney movie. This story is a folk tale representing elements of cruel & unjust oppression followed by triumph. Cinderella is a young woman living in bleak circumstances, constantly being harassed by family before achieving extraordinarily great fortune. The ancient story of Rhodopis, which dates back around 7 BC and AD 23, is usually considered to be the first variant of the Cinderella story. The word Cinderella has come to symbolize one whose attributes were unrecognized, one who was shunned by those with power; one who unexpectedly achieves recognition or success. Cinderella and Rhodopis share various traits … both were victims of aggressors, targets of bullying, found means to overcome, and both stories go back hundreds of years. In present times victims do not have Cinderella’s fairy godmother “to right their wrongs”. Yet there are still bullying stories being written and victims in need of tools and means to overcome. I will take the next few weeks to share information on the topic of bullying to help readers gain knowledge […]