Cyber bullying : an evaluation of Florida's recent enactment

Abstract

The goal of this paper is to examine the efficiency of the cyber bullying provisions of Florida's Jeffrey Johnston Stand Up For All Students Act in deterring cyber bullying behavior. The study includes several subordinate goals to answer this question. The first is measuring the awareness of students about this law (whose behavior is the focus of the law), measuring the awareness of teachers and school officials of this law (who are to enforce this law), and measuring the awareness of legal professionals about the law (who will pursue the law in court). The study also seeks to determine the perceptions of cyber bullying and the laws governing the behavior in each of these groups. The research includes a study of neutralization of cyber bullying behavior and deterrence of the law. To do this, the study uses a mixed method approach to collect quantitative, qualitative, and legal data to answer these questions. Current research studies, survey data, and interviews are utilized in conjunction with an investigation of legislation and case law. Florida's statute is compared to three other anti-bullying state statutes (Arizona, Missouri, and Vermont) created to combat bullying and cyber bullying within their states. Case law is examined on a national basis to determine trends in cyber bullying litigation. Following analysis of the data, conclusions are drawn on the efficiency of the law and suggestions are made to improve the law's performance. Suggestions for future research are also made.

Notes

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Thesis Completion

2010

Semester

Spring

Advisor

Brown, Cynthia

Degree

Bachelor of Arts (B.A.)

College

College of Health and Public Affairs

Degree Program

English

Subjects

Dissertations, Academic -- Health and Public Affairs;Health and Public Affairs -- Dissertations, Academic

Format

Print

Identifier

DP0022639

Language

English

Access Status

Open Access

Length of Campus-only Access

None

Document Type

Honors in the Major Thesis

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