Schools urged to adopt ‘new normal’ measures to protect students from cyberbullying

As thousands of students adjust to an online learning environment amid the health crisis, cyberbullying and violence may evolve alongside this change.

During a Ramon Magsaysay Award Foundation webinar on cyberbullying on Wednesday, Ysrael “Ace” Diloy, senior advocacy officer of Stairway Foundation Inc., shared that schools should practice various activities to protect children from cyberviolence.

For the safety of students this coming school year, Ace said schools should put more safeguards into action.

“Schools should consider adopting policies on safety into the new normal,” he said. Since schools already have a lot of protection policies even before the coronavirus pandemic, Ace said the challenge now was to adjust and implement these policies given the new circumstances.

“Right now with schools forced to reduce subjects ... mainstreaming child protection is crucial,” he added.

An important adjustment schools can do is to improve its disclosure process, according to Ace. In a traditional school setup, students have the option to tell their problems to their teachers face-to-face, but now, since learning will happen remotely, many barriers are in place.

“Schools should adapt to this and utilize technology. Schools have Facebook pages. They should think of innovative ways to open up pages and let students disclose in a safe manner,” said Ace. – RC, GMA News