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Case Study: Tinker V. Des Moines Independent Community Schools

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Tinker v. Des Moines Independent Community School of 1969 was a defining moment in American education history that ultimately gave school districts power against entitled student free speech. The court decided that “students do not shed their constitutional rights to freedom of speech or expression at the schoolhouse gate”, but rather enter into a special environment in which school officials may “prohibit student speech if that speech would substantially interfere with the work of the school or impinge upon the rights of other students” (Willard 2007). Although this court case was over 40 years ago, the same rules can still be applied to the battle against cyberbullying in the digital world that we live in today.
Students are as connected …show more content…
Cyberbullying, according to stopbullying.gov, is “bullying that takes place using electronic technology...as well as communication tools including social media sites, text messages, chat, and websites”. What makes cyberbullying an ever growing epidemic is the ease of access and the ability for the perpetrators to hide behind a keyboard in the comfort of their own home. Research indicates that in 2013 nearly 15% of high school students in grades 9-12 were bullied electronically. This raises cause for concern and the importance of increased vigilance and education need to be addressed by every educator and administrator. Measures need to be taken to prevent cyberbullying from occurring and plans need to be put in place to protect those who have been …show more content…
By including individuals on the decision-making process and maintaining transparency will decrease the surprise of the disciplinary action taken. Step seven includes the action that is to be taken against the students involved in the incident and should be upheld for all parties involved. Lastly, the final step in the IRP is to follow up with the individuals to make sure the action does not get repeated. In addition, it is important for counselors to follow up with the victim in the cyberbullying incident to make sure they are emotionally stable and recovering

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