Oregon law requires schools to come up with cyberbullying policies

Cyberbullying, the act of verbally abusing someone over the internet, continues to be a problem for the young people in our society and the Oregon legislature has done something about it, according to an article in the June 15 Portland Oregonian:

It starts with a MySpace comment. Maybe it's about a weekend indiscretion or a stolen boyfriend.

Then, like the flu, the cyberbullying spreads. Everybody has read it, and a student is in tears.

Cyberbullying -- when a nasty text message or online bulletin replaces a punch to the gut -- is a growing problem, said Kevin Blackwell, a social worker stationed at Hillsboro High School.

"I think I hear about some type of cyberbullying everyday," Blackwell said. "These kids are devastated; it's at such a wide scale."

Blackwell isn't the only one taking notice of this wired take on an old problem. The Oregon Legislature gave final approval Thursday to a bill that would require school districts to come up with a game plan for combating digital ruffians.

House Majority Leader Dave Hunt, a Gladstone Democrat, was the driving force behind the measure. Reports from constituents and, he said, some practical experience with his own children convinced him that a statewide call for policy was necessary.

"It's just becoming very apparent how different technology is in school," Hunt said. "We've got to make sure there are clear policies."

House Bill 2637 is an addition to Oregon bullying legislation passed in 2001. Specifically, the bill -- now on its way to the governor's desk -- defines cyberbullying as "the use of any electronic communication device to harass, intimidate or bully." Washington recently passed similar legislation.

One problem with the bill is going to be what school officials can do with cyberactivity that takes place away from school:

Identifying the problem is only half the battle. Though schools can punish students for things done and said at school -- if it has caused a significant disruption -- their authority off campus and on the Internet isn't so clear.

"You try to find at what point do we become involved?" Johnson said. "We have to be very careful of that."

This bill treads on the side of "better safe than sorry," by requiring schools to come up with ways to address cyberbullying that happens on campus, near campus, on school buses or at school-related activities. It doesn't bar schools from coming up with stricter policies, said Hunt, the Gladstone Democrat, it simply "establishes a base."