Documents

Over the last decade or more, I have been writing a variety of shorter or longer informational. These are available on this page.

Embrace Civility Student Survey

Results of a survey of U.S. secondary students reveals a high level of ineffectiveness of staff responses to hurtful situations (bullying), insight into significant causes of hurtful behavior, and evidence of positive values held by the majority of students.

Blog

Executive Summary

Full Report

State Statutes and District Policies Responding to Hurtful Off-Campus Online Student Speech

This document has been created to provide insight for state legislatures or school districts that are seeing to add a reference to “off-campus speech” to state bullying prevention statutes or district policies. The addition of this language is very important to provide clear notice to students.

Influencing Positive Peer Interventions: A Synthesis of the Research Insight (10/2012)

This document provides the synthesis of research on strategies to influence young people to positively intervene if they witness that a peer is being hurt or is otherwise at risk. This synthesis of the research provides the foundation for both Be a Friend ~ Lend a Hand and Cyber Savvy, Embrace Civility in the Digital Age’s two new programs.

Clearing Up the Confusion: School Response to Student Off-Campus Harmful Speech (4/2012)

There is a significant amount of confusion about the legal standards governing when school officials can respond to student off-campus, online harmful speech. This document will outline the current legal standards and provide recommendations, based on the case law, for how districts and principals can proceed.

Cyberbullying, Sexting, and Predators, Oh My! Addressing Youth Risk in the Digital Age in a Positive and Restorative Manner(10/2012)

This document provides comprehensive insight into these issues and sets forth recommendations for effective prevention and intervention ground in the promotion of positive social norms, enhancement of effective skills, encouragement of helpful allies, and the use of restorative interventions.

Educator’s Guide to Cyberbullying and Cyberthreats

This is an older document that was on a former site. This is also on other sites on the Internet. I was asked permission to quote from this in a new book. So am reposting it.

Protecting Children in the 21st Century

This Issue Brief provides an overview of the requirements under the Protecting Children in the 21st Century Act, addresses issues of effectiveness, and presents Embrace Civility in the Digital Age’s approach to providing instruction on these issues.

Educator’s Guide to Digital Risk

This Issue Brief outlines the key risks some young people face related to the use of digital technologies, outlines aspects of the digital environment that may impact these risks, describe key issues in effective prevention and intervention, and make recommendations for a comprehensive school approach.

Digital Risk ~ Investigation & Intervention

This Issue Brief outlines legal issues, policies and practices and recommendations for investigations and interventions.

Cyber Savvy

This Issue Brief outlines the approach to teaching digital safety and civility in Nancy Willard’s new book Cyber Savvy: Embracing Digital Safety and Civility.

Cyber Savvy Parents

This is an informational document that can be provided to parents on how to keep their children safe and encourage their teens to be savvy.

Cyber Savvy Libraries

This Issue Brief outlines strategies for how libraries can assist young people in becoming Cyber Savvy.

Cyberbullying Legislation and Policies

This is a 2007 document that addresses cyberbullying legislation in both Washington and Oregon. These states both ended up enacting legislation that placed clear boundaries that acted to restrict the ability of schools to respond to off-campus speech. The legal standards expressed in this document have been upheld and reinforced in subsequent cases. This is a vintage document – two documents in Issue Briefs section provide more recent guidance.

Multidisciplinary Targeted Youth Risk Online Prevention

This 2010 document outlines a multidisciplinary approach that states can take to address youth risk online.

Sexting & Youth: Achieving a Rational Approach

This 2010 extensuve report outlines the phenomenon of sexting – sending nude sexy images or text – providing a review of the research, discussion of legal issues, and recommendations for legislation and effective investigation and intervention. A protocol for investigation and intervention is also provided.

There is No Constitutional Right to be a Cyberbully

This 2009 document provides a legal assessment of a recent District Court cyberbullying case from California, JC v. Beverly Hills. The conclusions in this case have been misreported. In accord with every decision where this question has been raised, the Court ruled that schools do have the authority to respond to off-campus online student speech. Unfortunately, the Court erroneously applied the Tinker legal standard to the fact situation. Well-reasoned guidance from the Third Circuit, including a case written by now Supreme Court Justice Alito, provides superior standards to guide school decision-making.

Joint Statement on the Megan Meier’s Cyberbullying Prevention Act, HR 6123

Submitted to: The Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security, Committee on The Judiciary, House of Representatives, September 30, 2009. 

Moral Development in the Information Age 

This is an article Nancy wrote in 1997. This provides the theoretical basis for much of her work.

Techno-Panic and 21st Century Education: Make Sure Internet Safety Messaging Does Not Undermine Education for the Future

This 2008 document outlines examples of fear-based disinformation related to online sexual predators, outlines the actual research findings, and makes recommendations to ensure that Internet safety education does not undermine the necessary shift to 21st century education.

Research that is “Outdated and Inadequate?”

An Analysis of the Pennsylvania Child Predator Unit Arrests in Response to Attorney General Criticism of the Berkman Task Force Report, 2009

Why Age and Identity Verification Will Not Work – And is a Really Bad Idea

This document is an analysis of an approach being pushed in 2009 to require all sites to digitally identify users.

I Can’t See You – You Can’t See Me:

How the Use of Information and Communication Technologies can Impact Responsible Behavior

Choosing Not to Go Down the Not-so-good Cyberstreets

This document presents Nancy’s 2000 testimony to the Children’s Online Protection Act Commission.

Filtering Software: The Religious Connection

When Congress enacted the Children’s Internet Protection Act that required schools use filtering software, Nancy noted a disturbing emergence of filtering software companies that had close connections with conservative religious organizations. The concerns identified in this report have largely dissipated.

Capturing the Eyeballs and E-Wallets of Captive Kids in Schools: Dot.com Invades Dot.ed

As the Internet started to come into schools, enterprising companies saw this as a way to advertise to captive kids in school. This report, along with a FCC complaint, was reportedly instrumental in shutting one of the companies down. The other company the report focused on changed its business practices entirely.

Technology Planning in Transition

In the late 90’s, Nancy helped many school districts in Oregon develop a technology plan. This is the document she wrote to support this.

Cyberbullying & Cyberthreats Materials

This page provides assess to appendices for Nancy’s 2007 book Cyberbullying & Cyberthreats.