Schools getting serious about new cyberbullying law

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September 5, 2010

By Terry Date tdate@eagletribune.com The Eagle Tribune Sun Sep 05, 2010, 10:05 AM EDT

Parents, teachers and administrators will need to be vigilant to comply with the state's new anti-bullying law, designed to protect students from electronic intimidation that affects schools.

The law requires school districts to approve policies to combat cyberbullying by Jan. 1. Schools are also be required, by April 1, to train teachers about the new policies and implement educational programs for students and parents on preventing and responding to bullying.

A key difference between the existing Pupil Safety and Violence Prevention Act and its newest incarnation is its anti-cyberbullying provisions, says Dean Eggert, a Concord lawyer who will talk to New Hampshire superintendents and principals about the law next week.

The past five or six years have seen big changes in the way students communicate due to the widespread use of cell phones, texting, and instant-messaging at any time of the day or night, he said.

"That means students can carry their conduct outside the school and have it affect the school," Eggert said.

Those effects could include a video posted on the Internet that harasses a student, causing students at school to flock to a particular website to see it, he said. Or the off-campus digital harassment could be so intimidating and persistent that the recipient stays away from school.

The threat could be about something that will happen to a student at school, Eggert said.

Pelham High School Principal Dorothy Mohr said the new law will require more due diligence on everyone's part.

But school officials can't act to prevent an incident unless they find out about it before it happens, so she urged parents and fellow students "to be our eyes and ears."

Frank Bass, superintendent of the Pelham and Windham schools, said schools need to set a proper tone so parents feel comfortable reporting incidents. But he acknowledged it may be difficult to identify a connection or relationship between bullying outside of school and disruptions in school.

"It will be hard," he said. "It's a dubious line."

That's why it is so important for parents and school personnel to be aware of changes in their child or student's behavior.

Sanborn Regional High School Assistant Principal Michael Turmelle said parents can play a critical role in heading off or ending bullying.

The first recourse parents have when they find out about a threat either at night or on a weekend is to call their local police department, then talk to a school official.

Turmelle said he has had some success in preventing the escalation of bullying by talking to the parents of the perpetrator and the parents of the victim.

"The sooner you pull both sets of parents into the conversation, the faster it can stop," he said.

Schools have a role in preventing bullying by educating students about it.

The law defines bullying as an action that is likely to intimidate or could draw a violent response from the victim.

Pelham Memorial School Principal Cathy Pinsonneault has a simple definition of bullying.

"If it is hurtful, it is bullying," she said.

The Memorial School has an assembly scheduled for Sept. 15, where a group from Plymouth State University will talk to the students about bullying.

Area school districts, including Pelham, Sanborn and Windham, have begun or will soon begin to revise their existing anti-bullying policies to comply with the new law.

Specific policy changes required under the new law include statements for defining and procedures for reporting bullying. Schools must notify the parents of both the victim and the perpetrator within 48 hours after a bullying incident report.

Another provision requires a procedure for investigation of reports within five days of the reported bullying incident.

Eggert said school administrators have traditionally paid attention to what goes on with bullying at school, on the bus or at a school event. The new law expands their responsibilities.

"It makes it very clear that schools have the ability and responsibility to regulate off-campus bullying," he said.

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