Developing and implementing a statewide policy for schools on cyberthreats

Cyber-related threats have become an increasingly common occurrence in schools. Techno-savvy adolescents utilize the internet and other media to reach out to form virtual communities. Along with this has come new ways to threaten, bully, and exploit individuals. Examples of threats by text messaging, videos of student fights available globally on YouTube, and MySpace pages with threats, rumors or other methods of intimidation have all made national news. Working with the CDC-funded PREVENT Institute at the University of North Carolina (UNC Injury Prevention Research Center), The New York State Center for School Safety (NYSCSS) spearheaded a state project to establish policy for schools on cyber-related threats, including cyber bullying. The initiative included an examination of the literature on the incidence of cyber threats and the impact on educational settings. The Center gathered and reviewed sample policies from schools in other states (with no states having specific and comprehensive state policies on cyber threats and schools), and developed a policy for schools in New York. This session will examine the process and the strategies utilized in the policy development and implementation process, and what steps are required to effect change at a state level.