I found this article on Mashable.com and I am very happy this is finally happening. This is long overdue. A school district in California decided to start doing this because they wanted to start avoiding tragedy. The Glendale Unified School District teamed up with Geo Listening to start looking for problems before it is too late. We all know how severe the bullying epidemic is in this country. We also know of the many, many, many deaths that occur because victims believe that it is the only way out for them. I feel that is one of the bigger problems with bullying. The victims feel like they have no one to go or nowhere to go. We all know that is not true but they, obviously, do not see it that way.
I am so excited that this one school district decided to start following their students' behaviors. Victims will have help and not even be aware of it. Of course there will be some obstacles that will hinder some monitoring. The group will only be allowed to see public posts and profiles. This is place so there will not be any violation of the students' privacy.
This is a great idea and I wish more school will follow suit. A lot more lives will be saved. Bullying needs to go!
http://mashable.com/2013/09/25/ca-geo-listening/
I'm just never convinced the school's responsibility goes beyond campus. I think, as a parent, it's my job to monitor my child.
ReplyDeleteI'm on the fence on this issue as well. We had a situation at our high school this week where four volleyball players were suspended for their version of a "grind on me" vine. They were wearing shirts with school name in the six second video. While I understand that it is a matter of the coaches wanting them to understand the importance of what they represent, I am not sure that suspension is the appropriate punishment or if any punishment is necessary at all. It was not bullying or harassing in any way, and while it may be deemed inappropriate by some, its also worth considering that these are teenagers being silly.
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