Put the cyberbullying / bullying policy in
context.
Do laws already
cover the issues? If so, what is the law? Are there rights that correspond to
the policy, such as requiring that the school secure the safety of a student
even if it means funding a charter school or private school spot for them? How
does FERPA apply?
The Florida Department of Education model policy lists the Florida state
law covering harassment.
Cyberstalking as defined in s. 784.048(1)(d), F.S., means
to engage in a course of conduct to communicate, or to cause to be
communicated, words, images, or language by or through the use of electronic
mail or electronic communication, directed at a specific person, causing
substantial emotional distress to that person and serving no legitimate
purpose.
But it does not lay out the wiretapping laws that govern students spying
on each other using digital technologies (which are more strict than other
states) or hacking applications, civil rights laws that may apply or the
federal cyberstalking law that governs anonymous digital communications
designed to annoy or harass someone.
Parry recommends that those are explained
or referenced with links provided to legal sites or WiredSafety for more
information.
