Post # 9: Counter Argument

After reading many articles related to cyber-bulling, I came across one that talked about if schools should be allowed to punish cyber-bullies. The title is Schools Can't Punish Your Cyberbully. Nikhil Swaminathan, the writer of the article, talks solely about how schools should not be responsible for what is done away from campus.  Throughout his article he refers to a situation in Beverly Hills where one 8^th grade girl posted a video calling another girl a “slut” and “spoiled.” A state judge ruled that the school’s punishment of the bully was violating her 1^st amendment right to free speech. Swaminathan argues that this ruling is fair and that parents should be the only ones to punish their own kids. He claims that this issues it one that would be better handled at home, rather than at school or in the courts.

Although the 1^st amendment violation is valid, I believe that kids that are cyber-bullied should be punished at school as well. School is where socialization occurs and where kids spend a large portion of their day. If the person who is bullying them is walking around school, they would be terrified and embarrassed to be seen anywhere. Every child has the right to feel safe and protected at their school and this should be no different. The bully should learn that there are consequences for their actions. Parents may not realize the severity of these cyber bulling situations and therefore I believe it is the duty of the school to step in at that point. If not, the bully could go unpunished and the one who is being bullied would feel even more unprotected from their wrath.