School Principals Now Required to Spy on Students?
Cyberbullying Prevention Expert Reveals Hidden Dangers of New Regulation
San Francisco, CA— Officials at the Education Department have informed school principals that they may face lawsuits unless they monitor students’ conversations at school and their personal Facebook pages in search of language that the agency considers to be harassment of other students. Facebook will be working on this federal anti-bullying initiative with White House officials, which holds school officials legally responsible not only for student behavior on school grounds but also outside of school property. Pleading ignorance is no defense if a court determines that school officials should have known about such conduct. In the event of harassment, all school staff, students, and families within the school community may be required to receive mandatory training on recognizing and responding to harassment.
America’s leading cyberbullying prevention expert, Shawn Edgington, says that we have many issues to consider as this new anti-bullying program is implemented. While some measures may be well-intentioned, can such sweeping regulation really provide a safer environment for students?
Invite this engaging and knowledgeable guest to answer:
- How is Facebook planning to help principals find harassing language online?
- Is the sacrifice of privacy rights and free speech worth the benefits?
- Will this initiative simply encourage costly lawsuits that drain school funds?
- How is “harassment” defined by the Education Department?
- How can this initiative backfire?
CREDENTIALS: Shawn Edgington is America’s leading textpert and cyberbullying prevention expert, and the author of Read Between the Lines: A Humorous Guide to Texting with Simplicity and Style and The Parent’s Guide to Texting, Facebook and Social Media, which is slated for release next month. Her mission is to raise public awareness about textual harassment, online predators, sexting, and cyberbullying prevention. She teaches parents how to limit potential harm to their children from the nasty side of technology. Edgington has been featured in the upcoming documentary Submit: The Reality of Cyberbullying, and by Fox Business, Imus in the Morning, ABC-7’s View from the Bay in San Francisco, KRON 4 News in San Francisco, CNN Radio, the San Francisco Chronicle, The San Diego Union-Tribune, CBS Radio, The Leslie Marshall Show, and American Cheerleader Magazine among others.
CONTACT: Shawn Marie Edgington, (925) 249-2850 (CA); shawn@shawnedgington.com; www.shawnedgington.com