Since cyber-bullying became part of the school landscape, states have tried to put in rules to protect students. Now North Carolina wants to do the same for its teachers.
Under a proposed law, students who use the internet to “torment or intimated a school employee” can be convicted of a misdemeanor and fined $ 1000. This law says such torment can include building a “fake profile or website,” posting a “real or doctored image” or signing up a teacher for an online porn site.
The proposal comes as courts are trying to balance students’ free speech rights against a rise in online abuse directed at school officials. In one case, a court sided with a student who made a parody site with his principal’s picture and phrases like “steroid freak” and “big whore.”
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While students have always mocked school figures, online media can produce insults that are especially cruel and widespread. In college, I recall seeing a professor consoling a crying librarian who had found a website on which students disparaged her appearance and more.
The proposed North Carolina law, first reported by the Wall Street Journal, appears well-intentioned but may fail First Amendment scrutiny. As always in these situations, there may be a will to stamp out cyber-bullying but not a way.
(Image by tommaso lizzul via Shutterstock)
