Harassment by electronic means is an emerging issue that has a huge impact on teachers, ~ Shelly Svidal

Transcription

1 Harassment by electronic means is an emerging issue that has a huge impact on teachers, students and school communities. ~ Shelly Svidal The online harassment of teachers is causing some to leave the profession because of the defamation and humiliation they are forced to suffer. ~ Liz Lightfoot 1

2 SIGNIFICANCE OF STUDY The use of digital technology is ubiquitous today in educational institutions across the world. Technology has transformed the way educators perform their jobs and communicate with constituents. The volume of communication for educators has increased on a daily basis. SIGNIFICANCE OF STUDY communication has no time boundaries and is available The growth of has facilitated uncomfortable communication that affects the workplace environment and the professionalism of educators. SIGNIFICANCE OF STUDY Some educators believe uncomfortable communication is a form of harassment. This study will contribute to these emerging issues emanating from the intersection of communication and technology. 2

3 HIGHLIGHTS OF LITERATURE REVIEW Online harassment is an emerging issue, as addresses are public and there are expectations for prompt responses which creates pressure and anxiety. Cyberbullying used to refer to adolescents and now refers to anyone experiencing bullying online. HIGHLIGHTS OF LITERATURE REVIEW Online social cruelty is a phrase that describes forms of cyberbullying. A conceptual typology of online social cruelty includes exclusion, impersonation, denigration, outing, trickery, flaming, harassment, cyberthreat and cyberstalking. The electronic medium may exacerbate criminal behavior, as the architecture of cyberspace is easy to navigate and anonymous. HIGHLIGHTS OF LITERATURE REVIEW Gender issues are emerging that focus on the impact of online harassment on females. Females report online harassment that ranges from mild annoyance to fear. Females report messages that are sexually explicit, threatening or hostile. 3

4 HIGHLIGHTS OF LITERATURE REVIEW Legal remedies are increasing as 44 states have passed laws on cyberstalking and online harassment. It is a federal crime to anonymously annoy, abuse, threaten or harass via the Internet. Workplace bullying is exhibited by hostile communication through , which can affect the morale, stress and health of employees. HIGHLIGHTS OF LITERATURE REVIEW It is problematic that not all organizations have written policies or provide training about communication. For example, employees state things via that they would never write or utter out loud. Employees may be held liable. HIGHLIGHTS OF LITERATURE REVIEW induced stress can take the form of social information overload, social ambiguity, disintegrated work/leisure boundaries, emotional intensity, tenuous privacy, black hole experiences or spam trickery and disruption. 4

5 HIGHLIGHTS OF LITERATURE REVIEW Technology has increased the frequency and effect of communication between parents and schools. Common vehicles used are , online newsletters, websites and web access to student attendance and grades through parent portals. Educators are expressing concern about the tone, attitude and expectations of parents regarding communication. HIGHLIGHTS OF LITERATURE REVIEW First amendment issues are emerging as off campus speech by students is causing on campus disruptions to the learning environment. communication is now discoverable in court, so it is imperative that staff development be provided for all educators on proper etiquette. METHOD An online survey was distributed the last two weeks of the school year in June educators responded from 34 school districts and 3 intermediate units. Data was sorted and analyzed for 15 school districts that had 20 or more responses. 5

6 Demographic information about respondents * Gender Female = 74%; Male = 26% * School Level Elementary = 41%; Middle school = 22% High school = 31% Multi-level = 6% * Type Regular education = 78% Special education = 22% * Position Administrator = 18% Professional staff member = 82% * Age 29 & younger = 16% = 27% = 22% 50 & older = 34% * Socioeconomic Status of District Most affluent = 57% Moderately affluent = 19% Least affluent = 24% 6

7 Sources of Uncomfortable Never Received = 569 Parent only = 383 Parent/colleague = 304 Colleague only = 127 Differences were found according to gender, school level and socioeconomic status Socioeconomic Status of District * a greater percentage from least affluent districts never received uncomfortable s * a greater percentage from most affluent districts received uncomfortable s from parents and combined parents/colleagues * a greater percentage from least affluent districts received uncomfortable s from colleagues Use of Communication * 99.6% colleagues * 98.5% administrators * 86.0% parents * 40.7% students Use of addresses to communicate * 59% use school address * 39% use home & school addresses 7

8 Uncomfortable Reactions to * 92% received annoying s * 38% received insulting s * 33% received embarrassing s * 28% received s that included offensive language * 26% received s that were sexually suggestive Uncomfortable Reactions to * 20% received s that were harmful, untrue or cruel * 19% received s that were sexually explicit * 19% received s that defamed or denigrated one s reputation * 16% received messages that were posted on the Internet * 12% received s that were threatening Examples of Distressing s Provided by Respondents * 407 from parents * 222 from colleagues * 104 from students Categories include: * impolite, insensitive, rude * angry, coercive, capricious * lies, slander 8

9 Categories include: * racist * unprofessional, inappropriate jokes, casual * repetitive, huge quantity * copies, blind copies * solicitations, fishing for personal information * spam Actual examples from parents: * I will have you fired, I will go to the newspaper, I will sue you. * You are an awful teacher and have ruined my son s life. Actual examples from colleagues: * I am going to miss seeing your pretty face in my classroom everyday. Actual examples from colleagues: * A female co-worker took a photo of me and made a top 10 list that had various sexual innuendoes. Actual examples from students: * You can go to hell for sending an to my parents. * F k you, you gray haired f k. 9

10 Frequency of Uncomfortable Communication * a greater percentage of educators report communicating with colleagues than with parents and students * a greater percentage of educators report uncomfortable feelings after receiving s from parents than from colleagues or students Uncomfortable Considered a Form of Harassment * 45% from parents * 43% from students * 42% from colleagues Responses to Uncomfortable s * From parents 70-78% responded to sender, shared it with a colleague or administrator, sought advice from a colleague or administrator Responses to Uncomfortable s * From students a large majority never responded; when they did respond, they shared it with an administrator or sought advice from a colleague * From colleagues 63-68% responded to sender, shared with a colleague or sought advice from a colleague 10

11 RUDE Scale Reactions to Uncomfortable and Distracting s * Two factors Offensive Reactions and Threatening Reactions * Offensive includes: Sexually suggestive, sexually explicit; offensive language; embarrassing; annoying * Threatening includes: defaming and denigrating; harmful, untrue, or cruel; threatening; insulting RUDE by Age level * 50 & older report higher mean levels than 29 & younger RUDE by Socioeconomic Status of District * Educators from most affluent districts report a greater number of offensive and threatening reactions School Board Policies/Codes of Conduct for Communication with Parents * 42% reported yes * 12% reported no * 1% reported not applicable * 46% reported not sure Online Harassment from Parents Brought to Attention of District * 11% reported yes * 13% reported no * 70% reported not applicable * 6% reported not sure 11

12 School Board Policies/Code of Conduct for Communication with Students * 31% reported yes * 10% reported no * 4% reported not applicable * 54% reported not sure Online Harassment by Students Brought to Attention of District * 3% reported yes * 5% reported no * 91% reported not applicable * 2% reported not sure Staff Development Workshops or In-service Sessions on Topic of Online Communication for Educators * 25% reported yes * 50% reported no * 1% reported not applicable * 24% reported not sure IMPLICATIONS OF FINDINGS It is a challenge for educators to effectively receive and manage uncomfortable s from parents, students and colleagues. Educators receive uncomfortable s at their workplace through district or intermediate unit servers. The levels of discomfort are not surprising in the context of our society s growing use of e- mail and the litigious climate surrounding education. 12

13 IMPLICATIONS OF FINDINGS Special education due process cases are on the rise and defense attorneys are using communication as evidence against school districts and intermediate units. There is a lack of knowledge about the best way to respond to uncomfortable from any constituent. IMPLICATIONS OF FINDINGS School Board policies or codes of conduct regarding communication with parents, students and colleagues must be developed. Professional development sessions on the topic of communication must be facilitated for all educators and School Board members. First Amendment issues and legal cases regarding online communication should be examined very carefully. LEGAL ISSUES Court rulings have provided some direction to school districts in terms of when they can discipline students for their behavior or speech. Students in the public schools do not shed their constitutional rights to freedom of speech or expression at the schoolhouse gate. (Tinker et al. v. Des Moines Independent School District et al.-1969) School officials can discipline students, for conduct occurring off of school premises where it is established that the conduct materially and substantially interferes with the educational process. (J.S. v. Bethlehem School District 2000) 13

14 LEGAL ISSUES U.S. courts are generally oriented toward supporting First Amendment rights of free expression. Certain expressions are not protected and allow intervention and discipline, including those that: ~ substantially or materially disrupts learning; ~ interferes with the educational process or student learning; ~ utilizes school-owned technology to harass; or ~ threatens other students or staff or infringes on their civil rights. (Hinduja & Patchin) SOCIAL NETWORKING ISSUES Throughout the U.S., school districts are considering policies to restrict educator use of social media or social networking sites. ~ Teachers are not permitted to friend students. t ~ Districts may be viewing public posts on social media to determine appropriateness and how they reflect on the teacher and district. SOCIAL NETWORKING ISSUES State Codes of Conduct do not specifically address social media, but do set a standard for acceptable conduct. All communication with students and parents should be about educational and/or parents should be about educational and/or extracurricular activities. What applies to one type of media applies to all types of media. In cyberspace, the written word may actually be more dangerous than the spoken word, because it is documented. 14

15 FINAL THOUGHT The Internet is a culture of rights and responsibilities. We have no coherent theory of digital responsibility. The issue has broken out of Silicon Valley now it affects real reputations to defend. ~ Deborah Gage CONTACT INFORMATION Merle Horowitz, Ed.D. Superintendent Marple Newtown School District 40 Media Line Road 40 Media Line Road Newtown Square, PA mhorowitz@mnsd.org 15