Legislation that has cleared the General Assembly would give students more protections and support from cyberbullying outside of school, in an effort to reduce the growing number of incidents.
Sen. Bill Stanley, R-Franklin County, introduced SB 908, which amends previous legislation and separates the definitions for bullying and cyberbullying.
A cyberbully by definition uses a technology device connected to the internet, according to the bill. Almost 22% of bullied students experience cyberbullying in middle through high school, according to the National Crime Victimization Survey.
The Virginia Board of Education would develop model policies to address cyberbullying for local school boards to follow and implement even outside of school, but within a school division, according to the bill.
Students who are victims of cyberbullying would be provided protections by the school to ensure they are safe to report incidents without fear of retaliation, according to Stanley.
“The results of cyberbullying are pretty devastating because in the study, cyberbullying increases self-harm rates by double,” Stanley said.
Students who report cyberbullying to the school would be provided a list of mental health resources and information for any available support services available, according to the bill.
The support resources are important to students because cyberbullying can lead to self-image issues, mental health issues and self-harm, according to Stanley.
“No parent should ever have to bury their child, especially at the hands of someone who was bullying them from afar using a phone or a computer,” Stanley said.
Approximately 27% of students reported being cyberbullied over a 30-day period in 2023, according to the Cyberbullying Research Center. That is an increase from previous years. In 2019, 17% of students reported incidents within the same timeframe. In 2021, that number was 23%.
The senator also patroned a bill with strong bipartisan support that would create the Internet Safety Advisory Council, with the goal to advance the safe use of media and technology by students and teachers in Virginia’s public schools. A previous council was established in 2022 but was sunset last year.
The head of the Virginia Department of Education would appoint its members. The council would develop best practices relating to internet safety for school boards to support teachers and students.
Links to the instructional practices, curricula and other teacher resources used to advance safe use of media and technology would be posted to the DOE website, according to the bill’s impact statement. The projected cost would be just over $62,000 to support the council’s work.
Stanley’s bills now await action from the governor, who has until March 24 to change or veto legislation.
Del. Tom Garrett, R-Louisa County, introduced a bill related to online harassment that failed last session. HB 487 would have allowed people harassed, intimidated or coerced by someone through electronic means, such as computers, to pursue civil action. A subcommittee removed the bill from the docket.
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