Journal 8: Should Schools Be Held Responsible for Cyberbullying? (NETS-T 4)

Bogacz, R, & Gordillo, M. (2011, March/April). Point/counterpoint: Should Schools be Held Responsible for Cyberbullying?. Learning & Leading , 38(6), Retrieved from http://www.iste.org/learn/publications/learning-and-leading/issues/Point_Counterpoint_Should_Schools_Be_Held_Responsible_for_Cyberbullying.aspx

In the article "Should Schools Be Held Responsible for Cyberbullying?" the authors Renee Bogacz and Miguel Gomez Gordillo take sides on the issue. Renee Bogacz feels that schools should be held responsible stating that "to deal effectively with this problem, all educational stakeholders- teachers and administrators as well as parents and the students themselves- must work together, because if one group is not on board, then cyberbullying will continue to be pervasive in the culture of teenagers." She then goes on to express her feelings about having clear and enforceable consequences at school and continuous parental involvement at home.

Miguel Gomez Gordillo on the other hand, opposes the idea that school systems should be held responsible for cyberbullying. He accounts cyberbullying to the fault of the parents and also as society as a whole, because we have ceased to really support the family as an institution. He feels that the high number of bullying cases are mainly due to the weakening of the family structure. At the end of the day, he believes that a healthy family is the basis for a healthy society, and schools can only support that role.

As a future educator, where do you stand on the issue?
I believe that both authors make very valid points in their article, but I feel that I mainly connected with Renee Bogacz. I do agree that it starts with the family, but I truly feel that whole community needs to be held accountable in stopping issues like cyberbullying. Children need guidance, and when they may not be getting it at home, they should be getting it from schools and other outside sources. We need to bring these students up to trust that our society is one of respect and tolerance and every part of the community needs to come together to make sure that this happens.

What may be a consequence of only having the family deal with cyberbullying?
I feel that although there are many great parents out there, there are some that do neglect their children and don’t care what they do. The consequence of relying solely on the family to stop cyberbullying is that some families wouldn’t give their children repercussions for teasing or harassing someone, or even worse, some family members may encourage it.