Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/58727
University's Graduate School of Edu- cation. The student solicited ideas from others nationwide on ways to cause her harm — and responses ranged from spreading lies that she had sex with students to damaging her car. An administrator knew about the website, colored in blood red, but did not inform her before the school day began. Alerted to its existence during the work- day, Cano went online and promptly went into shock. "I lost all composure," says Cano, a for- mer member of the Las Virgenes Educa- tors Association. "I couldn't believe my administrator knew about this and then innocently let me go about my job." She took a week off and was assigned an armed guard upon her return. Police discovered the student behind the web- site and suspended him for the rest of the year. Although the district mishandled the situation at first, Cano says, administrators stood by her, and so did the union. "I was devastated and went to therapy for a while," says Cano. "The student returned to the campus the next year, and he was directed not to go near me. But I remained hypervigilant that year. I didn't go to concerts or school plays because I was afraid I would see him." Her decision to retire, says Cano, had nothing to do with that incident, and she leſt three years later on a happy note, main- taining her love of teaching until the end. "Still, it's hard for me to talk about, even now," she relates. "It was very, very damaging." Why an increase in cyberbullying? "Mr. Vi l lafana, is that real ly you on MySpace?" When Miller Middle School math and social studies teacher Dave Villafana heard that question, he went online and found someone had used his picture to create a phony MySpace account. There was also a phony account set up for his adminis- trator, and obscenities were being hurled between the two. "The sites looked authentic," he recalls. "Many kids assumed that we were actually doing it. I gave MySpace a call and the site was shut down immediately." Villafana, who is president of the Cupertino Education Association, believes teachers are constantly under attack in the media, so there is more tolerance for online bashing. It's common, he says, for students to go to RateMyTeacher and post hurtful things. Some will get friends from another school to post negative ratings about a teacher they have never met. He knows of cases where parents unhappy over a child's grade have made comments, pretending to be a student. "Whenever I want a dose of humility, I'll go to that page," Villafana says wryly. Villafana believes that when school districts and the media put teacher eval- uations online for the world to see, it exposes teachers to public humiliation and is also a form of cyberbullying. "Think of what happened to Dave Villafana, Cupertino Education Association president, was surprised to see his face on MySpace hurling phony insults at an administrator. Robert Ruelas in Los Angeles," he says, referring to the teacher who committed suicide after I couldn't believe my administrator knew about this and then innocently let me go about my job. NAN CANO March 2012 / www.cta.org 19 the Los Angeles Times posted information online labeling the young and dedicated teacher as "ineffective" based solely on stu- dent test scores. "Posting detrimental things online is very hurtful and has a strong impact on morale. Teachers dedicate their lives to students, and it's difficult when they are not respected. When they are targeted online, they feel lost and sad. We have to be aware of the hurt that can be created with the widespread use of the Internet." Nancy Willard of the Oregon-based Center for Safe and Responsible Use of the Internet believes cyberbullying is on the rise because students feel powerless and oppressed. "We are making a lot of students feel as though they are failures because of high- stakes testing and No Child Left Behind," says Willard. "The backlash of cyberbully- ing may be partly because of that." The Cyberbullying Research Center reports that there is a strong relationship between school climate and cyberbully- ing incidents. "A positive on-campus environment will go a long way in reducing the fre- quency of many problematic behaviors