Save Students from Bullying with Social Media Protecting students in school with social media

What will we learn today? What is Social Net Watcher? What does it do? Why will it work at your school district? Added Value to Your Schools

Web based software tool to provide school administrators advance intelligence to thwart unwanted social media activity by students at school. What is Social Net Watcher?

Chardon High School Students Shot Cleveland Plain Dealer, Chardon, OH, February 27, 2012 CHARDON, Ohio - T.J. Lane, the suspect in the shooting deaths of three students at Chardon High School, confessed to taking a gun and a knife into the school and did not target his victims, according to Geauga County Prosecutor David Joyce. Lane had posted on Facebook his intentions to commit the shooting nearly 30 days ago. In fact, he specifically instructed some students not to attend school on the day of the shooting to protect them from harm.

West Middle School Student Shot Martinsville Reporter-Times, Martinsville, IN, March 25, 2011 MARTINSVILLE, Ind. - Police arrested Michael Phelps, 15, this morning after he allegedly shot fellow West Middle School student Chance Jackson just before 7:30 a.m. The student was taken to Methodist Hospital and was listed in critical condition. According to reports, Phelps and Jackson had a long standing dispute and Phelps had posted on Facebook his intentions to cause Jackson harm.

Lakeshore HS Boys to “Shoot-up” The Times-Picayune, Slidell, LA, August 7, 2011 SLIDELL, La. - Three Lakeshore High School boys stated their intention to “shoot-up” the school on the first day of school via Facebook. Several news feeds – posted to friends – delineated their intentions. Police arrested the three boys five days before the first day of school and found ready-made bombs.

Data scan/search: bullying, suicide and/or violence Protects student privacy Web (Cloud) based What does it do?

Web based application running on Facebook or follow on Twitter Works from any computer or smart phone SoNet app runs in background on student’s Facebook page Students post threatening or plea message on Facebook or Twitter School Administrators alerted SoNet offers a solution

Research-Based Solution Database of terms Phrases and threats sourced from … Police reports FBI, Secret Service investigations News sources Actual Facebook / Twitter posts High school psychology expert on staff Student validation tool

386 School Shootings fatalities since Columbine 77% of shooters were 20 or younger

Safety Needs Demand Action Controversy surrounds the options

Preventative Action Is Best Take steps to identify threats and head them off, before a tragedy might happen at your school

The Problem

Over 90% of students are using it Blocking the Internet won’t work Students provide the intelligence Students are best source for school info Social Media can be used as a tool for educational content Today’s kids are digital natives (not digital immigrants) Reality of Social Media Source: Cyberbullying Research Center

Reality of Social Media 70% of students hide their on-line behavior from parents and/or school administrators Over 50% of students are bullied up to 20% of their time on social media Over 50% do not tell anyone of the bullying they experience 50% of students say they have bullied on social media sites Source: Cyberbullying Research Center

SoNet Plan Is Best Option SoNet Program... Three Ps 1.Protection Predicts potential problems 2.Privacy Program built around privacy 3.Peace of Mind Students don’t “rat” on fellow students

Why Will It Work? Alerts educational professionals first Gives school administrators the option of contacting: Parents, Counselors; Law enforcement as needed Schools can prepare for an appropriate response

Multi-Pass Phrase Analysis First pass -- high value key words Second pass -- selects adjacent words and identifies sentence structure Third pass -- calculates intensity of threat ViolenceBullying Suicide Identified as Violence, Bullying or Suicide Sent to qualified school official

Red - Violence: Specific dangerous, flagrant and criminal activity and timelines either directed toward individuals or the school, and may include abusive or offensive language. SoNet is simple, easy & clear

Yellow - Suicide: Threats to individuals or threats to cause self-inflicted injury, and may or may not indicate a specific time or criminal act. May include abusive or offensive language. SoNet is simple, easy & clear

Green - Bullying: Anger toward others or danger from an angry act. May be inflammatory, but not criminal or intimidating. May include a plea for help or intelligence of future activity. SoNet is simple, easy & clear

Why SoNet is a Great Option Less Intrusive than:  SROs  Armed Teachers  Security Equipment Accepted by Students 24/7/365 Protection

Anti-Bullying Law Reports Annual report to Indiana DOE Valid vs. Invalid incidents Sources of bullying Victim, witness, parent, digital, physical, teacher, scanner, other, SMS Resolved vs. Unresolved Details and Assigned

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