To the Editor:

We applaud and welcome State Senator Gwen Howard's bill requiring Nebraska's schools to adopt an anti-bullying policy.

Recent news events have shown that bullying, and particularly cyberbullying, is a fact of modern life.  Communities need to raise awareness of the issue and to make provisions for schools, parents and educators to address the threat with the seriousness and urgency that it demands.

Research has shown that an individual who has been a repeated victim of bullying without intervention from teachers and administrators has a tendency to become a bully and to act out towards others.  For the current generation of young people, emailing, IM-ing, text messaging, chatting and blogging are a vital means of self-expression and a central part of their social lives. But there is a dark underbelly to these new technologies, which is their misuse to harass fellow students and to spread bigotry and hate.

Over the past several months I have been speaking to groups of parents and teachers about cyberbullying and have found that parents are discovering cyberbullying issues with children as young as nine.  Students, parents, and teachers need to be aware of the dangers of cyberbullying and be equipped with the knowledge and skills to respond appropriately.