Issue link: http://educator.cta.org/i/58727
most commonly cited forms were slander- ous reviews on RateMyTeacher, Facebook "hate groups" that focus on a teacher, and nasty YouTube videos. The Plymouth sur- vey found that 72 percent of cyberbullying was committed by students and 26 percent by parents. Holm believes her attack came from a parent angry about homework. Shortly before the online rant, a parent took issue with her homework policy and sent her a rude note. Soon afterward, the family moved away. "The words used were not junior high school words," says Holm. "They were much too sophisticated." You do worry that your life could be destroyed. KELLY KIECH Internet abuse can devastate educators Those who have been harassed online commonly feel depressed, sad, angry or frustrated, and sometimes they feel suicidal, says Sameer Hinduja of the Cyberbullying Research Center, based in Wisconsin. Student targets he has interviewed said that they were afraid or reluctant to go to school, and he believes the same applies to teachers who have been targeted. One of the teachers in the Plymouth study admitted to having a nervous breakdown over the summer. "It made me feel incredibly sad," recounts Holm. "I felt like crying at times. I felt embarrassed." Obscene allegations by students on Facebook against two Santa Rosa Middle School teachers caused them to experience personal anguish and worry about their careers. The Santa Rosa Teachers Associa- tion members considered legal action, but decided not to pursue it. "You do worry that your life could be destroyed," says Kelly Kiech, a PE teacher. Kiech learned that a student who was outwardly friendly to him in class was making up vicious rumors about him. He immediately went to his principal. The rumors had been sent to more than 600 of the student's Facebook friends. The prin- cipal called in the student's parents, who knew the allegations were unfounded. The student wrote a new post on Facebook say- ing she had "ruined a great man's reputa- tion" and that she was sorry, but did not mention Kiech by name, which he had hoped for. The school suggested he let the matter drop. Kiech is moving forward and trying to put the incident behind him. But it's dif- ficult, he says, especially when his own children went online and saw the lies that had been posted. Kiech later found obscene allegations about math teacher Brent Jackson, so he told his school colleague and the principal. "It was very hurtful," says Jackson. "I could have sued the family for damages, but I didn't want any more publicity — or to exacerbate the situation. But it defi- nitely hurt my morale." Nan Cano feared for her life when a student created a "Hurt Cano" website targeting the former Agoura High School English teacher, now retired and an adjunct professor at California Lutheran Spreading rumors is easier using technology. One message can exponentially reach hundreds of people. 18 California Educator / March 2012