Taking the Lead on Cyberbullying: Why Schools Can and Should Protect Students Online

• Author: Darcy K. Lane
• Position: J.D., The University of Iowa College of Law, 2011.
• Pages: 1791-1811

1791

Taking the Lead on Cyberbullying: Why

Schools Can and Should Protect Students

Online

Darcy K. Lane

ABSTRACT: This Note argues that schools are the best line of defense

against the growing problem of cyberbullying and offers a guide for schools

wary of First Amendment lawsuits by students punished for their

cyberspeech. In many cases, a student engaging in cyberbullying of a

classmate will create a substantial disruption at school or interfere with the

right of the victim to an environment conducive to learning, thus justifying

action by the school under the Tinker standard. Other Supreme Court cases

regarding indecent or offensive speech and speech the Court viewed as

promoting drug use may provide helpful arguments for schools accused of

overstepping constitutional boundaries. This Note also suggests that schools

may wish to argue that courts should show more deference to disciplinary

decisions made by schools that have punished students for cyberspeech

directed at another student as opposed to cyberspeech about a school official.

Courts could make this distinction based on an analogy to defamation law.

I. INTRODUCTION .................................................................................... 1793

II. BACKGROUND ...................................................................................... 1795

A. THE DEFINITION AND PREVALENCE OF CYBERBULLYING .................... 1795

B. CHALLENGES FACING SCHOOLS ....................................................... 1795

C. IOWA’S LEGISLATIVE RESPONSE ....................................................... 1797

D. RELEVANT SUPREME COURT PRECEDENT ......................................... 1798

1. Student-Speech Cases .......................................................... 1798

2. Unprotected Speech ............................................................ 1800

3. Supreme Court Treatment of Defamation ......................... 1801

E. LOWER COURTS’ TREATMENT OF CYBERBULLYING ........................... 1802

III. ANALYSIS .............................................................................................. 1802

A. WHY SCHOOLS ARE THE BEST LINE OF DEFENSE AGAINST

CYBERBULLYING ............................................................................. 1802

 J.D., The University of Iowa College of Law, 2011.

1792 IOWA LAW REVIEW [Vol. 96:1791

B. PRELIMINARY MATTERS AND PRECAUTIONS FOR SCHOOLS ................ 1804

C. SCHOOL DEFENSES UNDER EXISTING STUDENT-SPEECH PRECEDENT .. 1806

1. Tinker ..................................................................................... 1806

2. Fraser ...................................................................................... 1807

3. Morse ...................................................................................... 1808

D. AN ARGUMENT FOR A TOUGHER STANDARD WHEN STUDENTS

TARGET CLASSMATES ..................................................................... 1809

IV. CONCLUSION ....................................................................................... 1811