Anne Bubnic's List: Digital Citizenship/Cybersafety Federal & State Initiatives

• On or before July 1, 2007, the Superintendent shall develop guidelines and criteria for inclusion in the education technology plan required pursuant to subdivision (b). The guidelines and criteria shall include a component to educate pupils and teachers on the appropriate and ethical use of information technology in the classroom, Internet safety, the manner in which to avoid committing plagiarism, the concept, purpose, and significance of a copyright so that pupils are equipped with the skills necessary to distinguish lawful from unlawful online downloading, and the implications of illegal peer-to-peer network file sharing.
• The guidelines and criteria shall include a component to educate pupils and teachers on the appropriate and ethical use of information technology in the classroom, Internet safety, the manner in which to avoid committing plagiarism, the concept, purpose, and significance of a copyright so that pupils are equipped with the skills necessary to distinguish lawful from unlawful online downloading, and the implications of illegal peer-to-peer network file sharing.

• A California government-sanctioned review of the bill notes inspiration from the National Association of Attorneys General (NAAG) Task Force on School and Campus Safety, which published a report suggesting schools increase their prevention activities against bullying in any form, “including cyber bullying.”
• “The growth in the use of technology and social networking sites by younger Americans has fueled a fear among professionals that cyber bullying will become the means most often utilized to harass,” reads the report. “while certainly more prevalent in the elementary and secondary school setting, issues related to bullying or intimidation are increasingly relevant in other nontraditional settings.”

• Education Code Section 51871.5, legislation, monitoring student internet use, ethical use of educational technology in the classroom, information literacy, aspects of information literacy/Internet safety, cyber-bullying, research studies and reports

• Both the state Senate and Assembly have proposed anti-cyberbullying laws. Kathy Wilson of Sen. Carl Marcellino's (R-Syosset) office said that the Senate has proposed two bills in the last two years that add computers to the list of modes of illegal harassment, but the Assembly passed neither.
• Both the state Senate and Assembly have proposed anti-cyberbullying laws. Kathy Wilson of Sen. Carl Marcellino's (R-Syosset) office said that the Senate has proposed two bills in the last two years that add computers to the list of modes of illegal harassment, but the Assembly passed neither.
  
  The Assembly's website states that the Assembly has proposed bills "to define and prohibit the bullying, cyberbullying and hazing of students and others on school property" as well as to add a database for reporting such complaints, but has not passed either yet.
• The Assembly's website states that the Assembly has proposed bills "to define and prohibit the bullying, cyberbullying and hazing of students and others on school property" as well as to add a database for reporting such complaints, but has not passed either yet.
  
• Matuk said that the task of monitoring children's electronic activities has been complicated by such devices as iPhones, from which I.M.s can be sent from anywhere. "This is going to require partnership between the schools and the community," he added.
  

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• Assembly Bill 86, introduced by Assemblyman Ted Lieu of Torrance, passed the Senate on Monday by a 12-11 vote and now heads back to the Assembly for consideration of Senate amendments, according to an Associated Press report. If the Assembly approves the Senate amendments, the bill will be sent to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.
• Lieu's bill would allow students to be suspended or expelled from school for bullying that occurs via electronic communication, including cell phones, computers, or pagers.
• Experts say the biggest obstacle to combating cyberbullying is that children are unlikely to report it. Unlike real-life bullying, there is often no witness or physical scar to alert parents or teachers to a cyberbullying situation.

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• he legislation, sponsored by Rep. Mike Cherry (D-Princeton), prohibits bullying, harassment and other forms of intimidation--including cyber-bullying via the Internet among students. Those who break the code of acceptable behavior could face suspension, expulsion or other disciplinary action. School districts also will be required to put procedures in place to handle reports of such behavior.
• HB 91 also includes provisions that require school districts to provide training to teachers and others who work directly with students, if funds are available, and include information on both the code of acceptable behavior and the Golden Rule in district employee training manuals.

• A school must have a written bullying policy that includes consequences for violations, identify school personnel to notify with complaints and the policy must be posted in every classroom and be reviewed by students, according to a press release issued by Williams' office.
• And while school violence had declined 4 percent during the past several years, bullying in schools has risen 5 percent, according to the U.S. Department of Education.
• The new legislation applies to any threats or intimidation in a school setting, including on school grounds, on a school bus or at any school-sponsored event. Also, the measure covers threats sent via e-mail or over the Internet, called cyber bullying.
  According to the state Department of Education, every school day 160,000 students miss school because they are afraid of being bullied.
• The anti-bully measure was included in a larger School Code bill in 2008. Greenleaf said he proposed the measure back in 2002, but met with resistance from school districts who worried about the cost of implementing such a program.

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