Responding to Cyber Bullying
An Action Tool for School Leaders
- Jill Joline Myers - Western Illinois University, USA
- Donna S. McCaw - Western Illinois University, USA
- Leaunda S. Hemphill - Western Illinois University, USA
"This book describes the legal precedents involved in the discipline of students who engage in this type of behavior and provides a very helpful matrix for dealing with a sensitive cyber situation. I'd recommend this text for all administrators!"
—Jill Gildea, Superintendent
Fremont School District 79, Mundelein, IL
Podcasts: 
Education Talk Radio: 3/25/2011
What every school leader needs to know about cyber bullying and the law
A parent brings a cyber bullying incident to your attention and expects you to resolve it. What are the students' rights and your responsibilities according to the law? Because the laws regarding disciplinary action are still evolving, this manual fills the gap by providing public school leaders with data-driven solutions for managing cyber bullying incidents. The authors offer clear guidance for honoring free expression while providing a safe learning environment. Helpful tools include
- "Top Ten Rules" for addressing cyber bullying
- Strategies for documenting aggressive cyber situations
- User-friendly legal tests for differentiating netiquette violations from First Amendment–protected expressions
- The MATRIX, a rubric that provides efficient and clear decision-making guidelines for determining appropriate responses to cyber bullying incidents (also available online)
Relevant case studies give examples of schools' authority to regulate, censor, or sanction inappropriate cyber expression. Mistakes can be costly, and avoiding liability is key. This book shows you how to protect yourself, your school, and your students in accordance with the law.
"This concise, yet thorough guide offers practical and legally sound strategies to effectively confront, document, and successfully resolve allegations of cyber bullying. Given the dire consequences of inaction or ignorance, this book is required reading."
"This book takes a current topic of concern, describes the legal precedents involved in the discipline of students who engage in this type of behavior, and then wraps up the text with a very helpful Matrix Tool to allow for consistency of response when dealing with a sensitive cyber situation. I’d recommend this text for all administrators!"
"A quality administrative outlook on an important topic. This resource is a healthy blend of the theoretical and practical. It is a useful resource for school administrators or a committee of teachers exploring the topic in order to establish their own policies."
"This is an extremely timely reference book that provides educators with the background and the tools necessary to deal with Cyber bullying in an objective, yet proactive way. This book helps to establish a balance between rights and responsibilities for all."
"This resource is a healthy blend of the theoretical and practical and a useful resource for school administrators, teacher committees exploring the topic to establish their own policies, or even graduate students investigating the topic. Highly recommended."
