For my class the topic this week is on Digital Citizenship.

Digital Citizenship includes responsibilities and rights of using technology which includes etiquette, laws, rights and responsibilities, and security.  Key areas of concern include:  plagiarism, cyberbulling, and cyber safety.  Of course the hot topic is cyberbullying.

This past year I dealt with a cyberbullying incident between students.  Parent reported to me that her daughter had been the subject of a "I hate club".  I listened asking for the evidence.  As with most online harassment, we didn't know who had started it.  I was thankful that the parent contacted me after her daughter reported it to her mom.  That doesn't always happen.

I spent over ten hours in the next three days talking to different students, contacting parents, and looking on Facebook and reading cell phone messages.  What really surprised me was the number of Facebook accounts students had.  These are students who are underage for having a Facebook account.  Most had accounts with the full knowledge of the parents.  And most parents told me that "I know what my child does on Facebook", but in reality, they didn't know.

My other surprise was the lack of support or interest from our school Resource Officer.  His viewpoint was that no crime had been committed.  However he taught these students as part of DARE about cyberbullying.  And yet, just four weeks later, I was dealing with issues.  

I thought our campus had done a good job in the area of cyber safety.  We have students and parents sign the district Acceptable Use Policy.  Teachers are asked to sign one as well.  We had a evening parent presentation on cyberbullying.  We use a positive behavior program schoolwide focusing being kind, respectful, responsible, and safe.   Our social skills program, Second Step, includes lessons on bullying.  And 5th graders participate in DARE which now includes a cyberbullying lesson.  

A school campus can have all of the right materials, curriculum, policies, and guidelines in place and still not teach what is important.  We need to be intentional about teaching cyber safety - that means being very specific.  We need to be proactive through our communication to parents through school web, PTA news, educating parents on how they can be proactive - not reactive.  We need to help parents connect to the good resources available on line.

What is needed is for the school to be more proactive in teaching Digital Citizenship to its community.  Partnerships with parents, PTA, police, and other community organizations can help put the resources into the hands of our parents.