Thursday, April 11, 2013
Grace McComas, 15, was a Glenelg High School sophomore.
A bill known as “Grace’s Law,” inspired by a 15-year-old Howard County teen who committed suicide on Easter Sunday in 2012, would make it a crime to bully someone repeatedly online, according to the Baltimore Sun. McComas’s parents told media outlets that she was harassed online for months before her death. Grace’s suicide resulted in an outcry of condemnation against bullying. Her friends wore blue – Grace’s favorite color – at her funeral, and went on to wear “Blue4Grace” to make visible their stance against bullying. Howard County Republican Allan Kittleman sponsored the Senate version of the bill, which was introduced by Rep. John Cardin, a Baltimore County Democrat. Last week, the Senate approved the bill, which Kittleman called “…
Wednesday, February 13, 2013
Is bullying really worse than it used to be? If it is, should we blame the Internet?
The Columbia story of Noah Brocklebank has gained national attention as the latest high-profile story about bullying. That often prompts the question from Patch readers: Is bullying really worse than it used to be? If it is, should we blame the Internet? There’s no consensus among experts on those questions, but there is consensus that 1) bullying is a huge problem that’s only beginning to be addressed, and 2) new forms of bullying require new forms of support. Once people understand the scale of the problem, they usually have a new question: How can I help? The scale of the bullying problem About 18 percent of U.S. students said they are afraid that someone will hurt or bother them at school, according to a survey on youth risk behavior …
Monday, September 10, 2012
Should students have more access to technology at school? Tell us in the comments.
One school board member is proposing increased access to the Internet and mobile devices for students in Howard County schools. During a discussion about technology at a recent Board of Education meeting, school board member Brian Meshkin proposed changing what is known as the school system's "Acceptable Use Policy" to one focused on "Responsible Use." According to the "Acceptable Use Policy," only high school students may use Internet independently in the Howard County Public School System. They must also have signed permission slips to do so. Students in grades kindergarten through eight may not use the Internet independently, according to the policy. Should students have more Internet access during the school day? Tell us in comments…
Wednesday, August 29, 2012
The security coordinator for the Howard County Public School System said each school will have the capacity to look into Facebook, Twitter situations.
As school starts in Howard County, so does a new program to investigate online threats to students. Kevin Burnett, coordinator of security for the Howard County Public School System (HCPSS), said that a staff member at each school has been authorized to look into potential situations arising out of social media. Previously, all staff at HCPSS institutions were firewalled from using social media sites, said Burnett. “If there’s a rumor that something is on Facebook or Twitter, that security officer is going to have bypass access to pull that information up and conduct an investigation,” said Burnett in a phone interview with Patch. “That’s relatively new based on a meeting last year at Howard [High]," said Burnett. He was referencing an …
Christine T.
4:21 pm on Friday, April 12, 2013
Ridiculous. Kids have been killing themselves long before the internet. If that law passes,then it will turn into a huge complicated mess w/a million loopholes. Good luck w/that. Most kids these days bully each other online & I see it everyday. If a child goes that far over simple bullying,then they had serious issues that their parents should've recognized. more ›