Ten years ago, bullying took place solely in the classroom and on the playground; now the epidemic has evolved into cyber-bullying via text messages and the Internet.
The general definition of cyber bullying is: the use of information and communication technologies to support deliberate, repeated, and hostile behavior by an individual or group, that is intended to harm others.
Come July 2012, New York State will have a new education law called Dignity for All Students, or DASA for short. This law, set to be education policy in NYS, is implemented to afford all students in public schools an environment free of discrimination and harassment.
The act states, “No student shall be subjected to harassment, discrimination, or bullying by employees or students.”
The interesting twist of the act is that the discrimination does not have to be blatant for action to be taken against the “bully.” The act also protects against perceived actions against: race, color, weight, nationality, ethnicity, religion or religious practice, disability, and sexual orientation or gender identity.
Student Government officers have been taking steps to prepare the district’s current Code of Conduct to match DASA, by taking appropriate actions in changing and amending the wording of it.
“Student leaders on the secondary level have also realized the many positive and meaningful activities that occur throughout the District that continue to promote the essential aspects of the Dignity Act,” said Dr. Thomas Fasano, Assistant to the Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction.
Student Advisory Committee meetings have been held to discuss other ways of implementing and publicizing DASA to the students at large of the high-school as well as the posterity of the high-school.
“There are some things beyond the schools control, but with the amount of work that has been put into it, it should make a safer, more enjoyable school year for everyone,” senior class president Mike Canatlupo said.
The law takes action and outlines bullying in both a physical and virtual way.
“When it’s brought onto school grounds and affects the day to day operations of the building, it becomes an issue that the school has to address,” Principal Dr. Barbara Williams said.
“I’ll be honest, I didn’t even know about DASA until just recently, but having that act is like trying to say everything is okay because people are going to follow that act,” secretary of Best Buddies, junior Ben Goess said. “Yet it only takes one simple act of kindness to the next, not a written statement, for the bullying and harassment to stop.”