Bullying

Over the last week or so we've been examining the topic of bullying in schools. We talked about the rash of suicides connected to online harassment; looked at several articles about bullying that told stories about several kids who had been bullied, their sometimes tragic reactions, and potential legal consequences to the bulliers; and watched two films, Bullied and If You Really Knew Me. The first told the story of Jamie Nabozny and his fight to overcome the daily physical and mental harassment in school and to hold not just the bulliers but also the school responsible. The second offered a potential solution to bullying by offering students a chance to get to the know their "real" selves. For your blog post on this topic you must:

1. Respond to any of the materials used in class. Be sure to use details from the source.
2. Do some quick research and get an update on any of the cases read about in class. Be sure to summarize details of your story and offer your thoughts on it.
3. Reflect on bullying here at DHS. Is it a problem? If so, for whom? If not, is DHS different than other schools or do we just not see the behavior that takes place (or perhaps do we not define certain behaviors as bullying)?
4. Offer potential solutions. Think about institutional as well as individual responsibility. (You may do additional research to find what other schools are doing (i.e. "Challenge Day") and reflect on those0.

Students and the Fourth Amendment

The Supreme Court in the case N.J. v. T.L.O. stated that while students do still have an expectation of privacy in school, Fourth Amendment rights and requirements are reduced in a school setting. There is no need for a warrant or probable cause, yet the reason for the search and the method must still be "reasonable". The Court in Vernonia v. Acton said that a suspicionless drug test of athletes was constitutional and the Court in Board of Education v. Earls further stated that suspicionless drug testing of those involved in extracurriculars was also constitutional. In class, we debated the merits of a drug testing policy at DHS by sharing evidence from The Student Drug Testing Coalition and the ACLU. Now it is your chance to share your final resolution about this issue. Do a post in which you come down firmly either in favor of or against drug testing in schools. Be specific and use information from class to support your point of view.
Then expand your look at student privacy in schools by exploring a news story about the most recent Supreme Court case regarding student searches found here; A description of a lawsuit filed on behalf of a student whose cell phone was searched found here (you can read about the settlement of that case here); And a recently filed lawsuit against a Missouri school district and their suspicionless searches of student purses and backpacks during lockdowns that you can find here. Then add to your original post or do a second one about one or more of these articles. Work to make links to what was discussed in class.