School Administrator's Clip File • September 30, 2020
Talk to students and families about cyberbullying
Students are spending more and more time on digital platforms—for school and for socializing. Experts fear that with that increased time online, students who are prone to bullying are likely to turn to cyberbully.
In fact, according to an April 2020 report published by L1ght, a technology startup that helps detect and filter abusive and toxic content online, hate speech between kids on social media and in chat forums increased 70% when students transitioned to distance learning.
Talk to students about the importance of digital citizenship. Share tips with families for monitoring technology use and make sure students know that your school has a zero-tolerance policy when it comes to bullying—in person and online.
Weave the topic of bullying into class lessons
October is National Bullying Prevention Month. Here are several ways teachers of all subjects can incorporate the topic of bullying into existing lessons:
- Language arts—Have students read books containing themes of bullying for book reports or class discussions.
- Social studies—Ask students to brainstorm events in history that were the result of bullying on a global scale (such as the Holocaust). How does bullying relate to minority groups and the Civil Rights Movement?
- Math—Have students anonymously complete a survey about their experiences with bullying. Then, students can chart the results of the survey.
- Art—Have students create bullying prevention posters.
- Technology—Discuss the seriousness of cyberbullying and the importance of digital citizenship.
Did you know?
“Parents, school staff, and other adults in the community can help kids prevent bullying by talking about it, building a safe school environment, and creating a community-wide bullying prevention strategy.”
—U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
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