Introduction
In contemporary society, cyberbullying through Facebook has become very common and serious because of the growth of the internet, particularly among students. In this case, the dignity and rights of people happen to be violated, particularly when they are school-going. Therefore, the courts of law have their work well cut out for them to deal with the emerging threats to the rights of school children. In this case, a student has been subjected to cyberbullying through the Facebook page of a classmate. Although many cases of cyberbullying affect students through social media, some steps are required to be taken consistent with state statutes.
Providing the Steps Required to Take that are Consistent with State Statutes
The student that experienced bullying through Facebook should familiarize herself with the state statutes of Arizona, where she schools. In this case, there are Arizona anti-bullying policies & laws that the student needs to be familiar with. The student can approach the Arizona school district, which will take action against the vice (Green, 2016). The school districts need to use procedures to safeguard the safety and health of the affected student harmed by bullying, intimidation, and harassment. In addition, the school districts must provide written copies of the support, protection, and rights services to the affected student. The school districts have to adopt mechanisms or procedures to notify the parents of the victim of cyberbullying so that such parties can know the kind of intimidation and harassment.
Any First Amendment Arguments
Cyberbullying is a form of harassment that happens through electronic means, such as using social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, and provides some challenges to the First Amendment’s protection of freedom of speech. In this case, cyberbullying has become a major challenge in the educational system, such as normal schools, colleges, and universities. In addition, society at large is also adversely affected by the issue, particularly after various high-profile cases where victims who were bullied on online platforms committed suicide (Green, 2016). The issue has attracted the attention of the White House with various proposals and amendments, such as the ones that happened in 2011. Cyberbullying laws provide considerable challenges to the First Amendment because the statutes make some of the languages used and speech criminal in particular laws and regulations.
Responses to Make to the First Amendment Arguments
The First Amendment provides constitutional rights to people to have freedom of speech in any form of media such as social platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Therefore, cyber bullying appears to be in conflict with the statutes of the First Amendment which seems to protect the right of people to free speech (Green, 2016). Thus, the First Amendment of the US constitution provides critical challenges to the existing cyber bullying laws. Although the Arizona statutes of cyber bullying tend to criminalize speech, the First Amendment protects the rights of the accused individuals.
Conclusion
In conclusion, cyberbullying has become rampant in contemporary society because of the growth of the internet, where students can access online materials at the click of a button. In this case, many students have become victims of cyberbullying through online platforms such as social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Although most US state statutes protect people from cyberbullying, the First Amendment protects the rights of free speech even on social media platforms.
Reference
Green, L. (2016). Cyberbullying: Challenging legal issues for Schools. NFHS. Web.