Subject Line: Dynamic Duo: Schools & Parents Teaming Up to Combat Cyberbullying

Dear Sara Mogck,

My name is Kate Lovas, and I am a current student at The Pennsylvania State University and an
alumnus of Westminster School class of ’18.

On Tuesday February 26, 2019 a group of Penn State students and members of the community
gathered at Webster’s Cafe to participate in a public deliberation on the topic of cyberbullying.
Today, cyberbullying has become a pressing civic issue due to the increasing amount of social
media platforms and the current trend of children receiving cell phones younger and younger. It
is a growing issue that previous generations of kids, families, and institutions have never had to
face. Due to this, we wanted to discuss who should be responsible for doling out punishments
and raising awareness.

Almost every teen today has experienced or observed cyberbullying but has failed to recognize
or report the incident. Institutions need to team up with the community to combat the behavior
through tighter administrative control, raising awareness at younger ages, and facilitating the
conversation both in schools and at home.

Ninety percent of the audience surveyed, after the deliberation, reported that they have been
cyberbullied and 100% said they strongly agree or agree that cyberbullying is a serious issue
(Anonymous: “Post Deliberation Questionnaire”). We could lower this number drastically just
by raising awareness. What society lacks is a clear definition on what cyberbullying is and how
just one comment can severely affect an individual.

Families can play a crucial role in preventing online bullying. By monitoring children’s accounts
and teaching them early what is okay to post/comment will make a difference in the long run.
Technology has allowed teens to hide behind screens creating a world where people do not know
how to have face to face conversations (Anonymous: “Post Deliberation Questionnaire”).
Children now have the opportunity to hide behind a screen where they feel safer saying things
they would never say in person because it is easy and often comes with no consequences. Parents
can help change this habit by encouraging conversation and teaching their children that personal
interaction is preferable to electronic text messages that lack emotion.

Right now, kids are too afraid to speak up about any harassment because of any repercussions
from their bullies. One participant mentioned that at his school they would send out a yearly
survey asking if you were cyberbullied but either false information was reported or nothing was
done by the school (“Mean Screens Hurt Teens: Unplugging Cyberbullying”). This shows that
there is work to be done in each elementary, middle, and high school. One important point that
was touched on when discussing people’s cyberbullying experience was bias that came from
teachers and administrators (“Mean Screens Hurt Teens: Unplugging Cyberbullying”). Often,
teachers have favorite students and treat that individual differently from the rest of the class. This
“favorite student” may be harassing someone online but that will be overlooked, but when a
different student engages in the same behavior they are punished. Administrators, too, can be
found guilty of this because of whom the child’s parents may be. Participants felt as if schools
need to do a better job of implementing stricter punishments that are held to every single student
(“Mean Screens Hurt Teens: Unplugging Cyberbullying”).

Overall, our audience came to a consensus that both parents and schools need to work together
and educate children on what cyberbullying is and what to do about it (“Mean Screens Hurt
Teens: Unplugging Cyberbullying”). Alone, parents do not have the ability to punish or report
their child’s bully while schools cannot monitor students’ online activities. The topic may be
difficult to discuss but if schools and families create an environment where speaking up and
reporting incidents is welcomed then cases of cyberbullying would severely decrease. Schools
can advise parents on how to talk to their children about their social media accounts and give
them tips on how to monitor their child’s activity. They could even work with parents to ensure
incidents are being reported.

This information may be beneficial to Westminster’s administration because it is an issue on the

rise. Often schools only hear from parents or teachers about the issues of cyberbullying but never
directly from the students. This is a compilation of research and solutions directly from students
and members of the community who have first-hand experience on the topic. They have gone
through high school or have kids currently going through middle school and can provide a
unique perspective on the issue.

Best Regards,

Kate Lovas

Work Cited:

“Mean Screens Hurt Teens: Unplugging Cyberbullying.” Deliberation Nation. Deliberation

Nation, 27 Feb. 2019, State College, Webster's Bookstore Cafe. Notes taken from

deliberation.

“Post Deliberation Questionnaire.” 26 Feb. 2019.