The Philadelphia-area school district that was sued for capturing thousands of photos of students in their homes has agreed to pay $610,000 to settle lawsuits filed by two students' families, according to a report in the Washington Post. The photos were captured by the Webcams in school laptops that went home with students in two of the district's high schools. In the cases, the district had … [Read more...] about Follow-up to PA ‘school spying’ story
school policy
Phoebe Prince story: Much more than meets the eye
If parents want insights into both the Phoebe Prince tragedy and how bullying can develop in a high school today, read this in-depth piece in Slate.com. The writer, Emily Bazelon, was reporting this story for months, publishing interim pieces of it as the news broke from South Hadley, Mass. "My investigation into the events that gave rise to Phoebe's death, based on extensive interviews and review … [Read more...] about Phoebe Prince story: Much more than meets the eye
Really sound cyberbullying advice for parents, schools
There was some of the best advice for parents and school staff on cyberbullying that I've seen yet in the New York Times's health blog this week. The advice is from Elizabeth Englander of the Massachusetts Aggression Reduction Center. She looks at how we can help our children deal with cyberbullying trauma and how schools should respond. On the first question, Dr. Englander acknowledges – based on … [Read more...] about Really sound cyberbullying advice for parents, schools
Snapshot of how mobile the social Web is
Clearly, mobile phones are a growing sector of the social Web. More and more people are accessing social sites with their phones. Here – from social-media research firm Flowtown – are graphical, at-a-glance views of the growth of phone-based access; what portion of Facebook, MySpace, and Twitter users use the sites with their phones; and what activities engage them while in the sites on their … [Read more...] about Snapshot of how mobile the social Web is
Schools’ cyberbullying quandary
Most teens don't cyberbully or harass their peers maliciously via the Web or phones and other digital devices, nationwide studies have shown. But some – anywhere from 4% to 30%, depending on the study cited – have, some extremely hurtfully, a very small portion of them with a level of aggression that led to teens' suicides. The research also shows that a great deal of this behavior, from mean to … [Read more...] about Schools’ cyberbullying quandary