There is a new Harassment Intimidation and Bullying (HIB) law that has been recently been enacted in New Jersey. This new law makes schools responsible for bullying that occurs in schools, but also for any incidents of bullying that happen off school grounds. Moreover, these off-campus bullying incidents for which schools are now responsible need not take place during school hours. Do you think this is a reasonable requirement to place on schools? Or, do you think that this off-campus bullying should be taken care of by parents? Following is a website with additional information about the new law.
http://www.njea.org/issues-and-political-action/anti-bullying
I believe that far too much accountability and responsibility is being put upon the teachers. On school grounds, it is perfectly acceptable to hold teachers responsible for their students actions, but to go beyond the classroom is asking for too much I feel.
ReplyDeleteIt's one thing if a student comes up to a teacher to complain or tell the teacher that another student is bullying or harassing them outside of school, but for the teacher to go out of their way to make sure the bullying isn't happening is asking too much.
My high school just had an internet bullying program come through, and the school has even gone as far as saying that teachers are responsible for monitoring such things like students Twitter and Facebook accounts. First of all, I think that most students are not mature enough to even be on some of these websites, and secondly, as a teacher, I don't even want to be looking at one of my students Facebook accounts, let alone watching out for "cyber bullying." I'm not sure what's going on in households nowadays, and I'm not saying all parents are this same way, but I feel like there is an enormous lack of responsibility shown these days.
I agree with John. I feel that asking teachers to monitor what is going on in their classroom is a reasonable request, however monitoring for bullying outside of school should not be a teachers responsibility. Teachers have numerous responsibilities as it is during and after the school day, and while monitoring for bullying during the day should be something we watch for on a daily basis, teachers should be allowed to lead their lives outside of school.
ReplyDeleteI believe that the HIB law has good intentions, however placing this much more responsibility on teachers may make them feel even more overwhelmed or overworked. There must be boundaries, and with time I'm sure this new law will become more defined as it is enforced. However, I also believe that parents should be involved in any discussions about their child and possible bully behavior before a student is written up and labeled as a bully.
For a few years now Verona has had a similar policy that they call 24/7. It basically means that if a student harms another student outside of school, or even if they get in to legal trouble outside of school grounds, the administration has the right to take disciplinary action. Judging from a board of Ed meeting I attended last year, it seemed that 24/7 was not very popular and was probably going to be overturned. In my opinion, incidents outside of school need to be handled by the parents, not by the school.
ReplyDeleteI agree with everyone above and i think that anything that happens off campus shouldn't be the teachers responsibility. if it is 3:00 and a student is being bullied in front of the school that is very different. Fair Lawn also has a similar policy to the one that Vinnie mentioned. Fair Lawn took every precaution to make sure that this policy stuck around. Many things that happened off campus were dealt with in school the next day. Fair Lawn still uses this policy very strictly and believes that the schools should be involved in incidents that happen outside of school. In my own opinion i believe that parents should be responsible for their child's actions not only in school but out also. Teachers shouldn't be the people raising these parents children. Parents need to take more responsibility.
ReplyDeleteI think that it is fair to ask teachers to be responsible for trying to stop bullying in school or near school during school hours. However, I think it is asking too much to make them responsible for monitoring the bullying outside of school hours. At the school where I teach, teachers aren't even responsible for what happens on the playground after the students have been dismissed. I think it should be the parents' responsibility at that point.
ReplyDeleteThis law seems to be a knee jerk reaction to some tragic bullying incidents, similar to Kaley's Law. Kaleys's law requires all drivers 18 and under to have a red sticker placed on the license plate. Police are then to take notice to how many people in the car. The downside is , I could be pulled over with a minivan full of kids in a few years when I have a young driver and have the red sticker is required. There is no penalty to me, but a waste of time. It can also make a young driver a target for a predator. The repeal process on this very emotionally driven law was started within weeks of it becoming law.
ReplyDeleteThe HIB is the right idea, making sure that teachers and schools are not letting problems be swept out of sight, but it goes too far and is unenforcible. How can someone be responsible for something they know nothing about?
The law has gone so far that even the children it is designed to protect find it confusing and frankly a little ridiculous.
I want to echo pretty much what everyone else was saying. I think these laws are ways for politicians to get elected, but like mary said they are a knee jerk reaction and not very well thought out. I think the problem is a responsibility hot potato and no one wants to be accountable when the music runs out. I think parents need to take a greater interest in their children's lives, and not feel like it's a teachers job to raise them. Parents want it both ways and i feel this law is just another step to take responsibility away from them. I'm not bashing all parents, but i think society is pointing all the ills of child development on teachers, but I believe it does take a village to raise a child and parents, teachers, family, friends, and other authority figures all need to take responsibility.
ReplyDeleteI think that the solution should not be "How can we properly punish bullies?" but rather, "How can we educate children to be respectful towards each other and create synergy in the classroom?" In my school currently, it seems as though faculty may even be using bullying as a crutch, as an excuse to report an incident rather than utilize conflict resolution techniques. In addition, I believe that teachers and administrators can now be held responsible for the bullying that takes place outside of school and even via social networking sites. This equation seems to be missing parental responsibility somewhere, and perhaps this education should begin at home.
ReplyDeletePlacing the expectation on teachers to be accountable for student actions outside of the classroom and during off hours is completely unreasonable. I agree with the sentiment that this serves as another example of politicians offering a solution to a siutation that has gained huge attention in the press in recent years. Broad brush tactics are not always effective. I also believe this is a cautionary tale for parents as well. It almost feels like those who support this type of legislature feel comfortable with giving up accountability in parenting their own children. Where my children are, who they are with and what they are doing is always my number one concern.
ReplyDeleteI agree with many of the points being made here, especially the idea that parents should be the main party responsible for rectifying issues of bullying. I, for one, however, don't see schools being held responsible for all instances of bullying as such a bad thing. I think that schools having reports on only the instances taking place within school grounds doesn't help in fully stopping the issue. If, however, schools were forced to keep records on all students, it could possibly be much easier to identify patterns in accusations and reports, and therefore, be easier to see where the more detrimental instances are taking place.
ReplyDeleteFrom the extensive sessions I have attended this year for HIB, how I have been explained repeatedly is that it holds the school arm out beyond school hours and area only if the student which is being harassed finds themselves unable to feel safe in the school environment. I do not know if this is something that has been described only to the madison district and is incorrect but I have to agree with the law in that the school environment has to be a safe learning space.
ReplyDeleteI do also agree that the parents need to monitor their children’s behavior but at the age of 15-18, high school students need to become accountable for their actions and I believe this is where that law is trying to go. Outside school, there are not many people willing to make a big deal over cyber bullying or even harassment simply outside school. I think this law allows for a standardized method of punishment and ratification for poor behavior. I am not saying that teachers need to go patrol the streets as if they were police officers but I think enforcing rules both inside and outside school allows administration the ability to keep order and push punishment on students who infringe on the rules regarding proper behavior.
I think with any new policy, it is easy to deflect attention immediately to the parts of the law that are weak and cause the most controversy. The intention is to keep students safe both in and out of school. Maybe it’s a matter of how we can better implement this law until (like some others have said) teach proper behavior toward one another. -Josh
After attending an Oct. 12th HIB seminar, I actually feel much more comfortable about what schools (and I as a future teacher) are “responsible” for…The attorney who conducted the seminar explained how to limit “legal exposure” while still meeting our legal (and moral) responsibilities. He also explained the difference between code of conduct violations and real HIB issues. I think staying informed of HIB laws and regular communication with a school’s anti-bullying team and “expert” will help school staff – and students – navigate this troublesome topic.
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