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THE DIGNITY FOR ALL STUDENTS ACT: A QUANTITATIVE STUDY OF ONE

UPSTATE NEW YORK PUBLIC SCHOOL IMPLEMENTATION

By

Christopher M. Riddell

A doctoral dissertation

Presented to the Graduate Faculty of the Doctor of Law and Policy Program

at Northeastern University

In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of

Doctor of Law and Policy

Under the supervision of Dr. Monica Savoy

College of Professional Studies

Northeastern University
Boston, Massachusetts

June 2018
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©Christopher M. Riddell, 2018

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Acknowledgements

Many thanks go to my best friend, Dr. Howard Feldman, without his help not only in

proofing many papers but moral support the journey, would have been harder. I would also like

to thank my committee members, Dr. Monica Savoy and Dr. Matthew Hawes, I learned from

each of them. I would be remised if I did not acknowledge Dr. Pawlyshyn’s guidance, she is a

gem. And to my son Justin who knew just what music to play for me after a long day.
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Abstract

This quantitative study uses a survey to determine how public school teachers perceive the

efficacy of the intervention of the Dignity For All Student’s Act on the climate of civility in the

classroom at one specific public middle school located in Upstate New York. The intent is to

explore the perceived efficacy of the intervention put into place in 2012 to address

cyberharassment and to cultivate civility in the classroom. A total of 47 teachers participated in

this study.

This study provides background on the prevalence of cyberharassment in schools. The results

show that the cyberharassment behaviors of sexting, stalking, bullying, spreading rumors, and

sending embarassing pictures have occurred with some frequency over the 2017-2018 school

year. Sexting was the most witnessed by teachers (38.3 percent) with 36.2 percent indicating a

frequency of once a year. The sending of pictures to embarrass was observed by 23.4 percent of

the teachers, 12.8 percent observed the frequency of once a month. The spreading sexual rumors

was observed by 34.0 percent of the teachers with a frequency of 27.7 percent stating it occurs

once a week.

The findings further suggest an inconsistency among teachers in addressing online behavior with

their students. Some teachers (38 percent) indicated they discuss appropriate online behavior

with their students “as needed,” while 29 percent indicate they never do. Additionally, 55.3

percent view the Dignity For All Students Act as having an average effect on cultivating civility

as a part of the school’s culture. Additionally, 78.7 percent of the respondents believe DASA has

had little impact on cyberharassment incidents.

Keywords: dignity, cyberharassment, bullying, civility, culture.

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Table of Contents

Acknowledgements ......................................................................................................................... 3

Abstract ........................................................................................................................................... 4

Table of Contents ............................................................................................................................ 5

List of Tables .................................................................................................................................. 9

List of Figures ............................................................................................................................... 10

Chapter 1: Introduction and Background ...................................................................................... 11

Law and Policy Review ................................................................................................................ 16

Description and Opposition to DASA ...................................................................................... 18

Title IX and Landmark Cases ................................................................................................... 19

Second Circuit Cases and Title IX ............................................................................................ 22

Wisniewski v. Board of Education of the Weedsport Central School District ......................... 22

People v. Marquan M................................................................................................................ 23

J.G.S. v. Bellmore-Merrick Central High School District ........................................................ 25

Problem Statement ........................................................................................................................ 26

Purpose Statement ......................................................................................................................... 26

Research Questions and Hypothesis ............................................................................................. 27

Theoretical Framework ................................................................................................................. 29

Definitions..................................................................................................................................... 32

Cyberharassment ................................................................................................................... 32

Cyberbullying. ...................................................................................................................... 32

Sexting. ................................................................................................................................. 32
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Cyberstalking. ....................................................................................................................... 33

Assumptions.................................................................................................................................. 33

Scope and Delimitations ............................................................................................................... 33

Limitations of This Study ............................................................................................................. 34

Significance of This Research ...................................................................................................... 34

Summary ....................................................................................................................................... 35

Chapter 2: Literature Review ........................................................................................................ 37

Literature Search Strategy............................................................................................................. 37

Literature Review Related to Key Concepts and Variables .......................................................... 37

Cyberharassment ....................................................................................................................... 39

Sexting ...................................................................................................................................... 42

Cyberstalking ............................................................................................................................ 47

New York State Law................................................................................................................. 49

Summary ................................................................................................................................... 49

Chapter 3: Research Methodology................................................................................................ 51

Research Methodology and Rationale ...................................................................................... 51

Positionality Statement ................................................................................................................. 52

Population Selection ..................................................................................................................... 53

Procedures for Recruitment and Participation .............................................................................. 54

Instrumentation ............................................................................................................................. 55

Data Analysis ................................................................................................................................ 56

Reliability and Threats to Validity ................................................................................................ 57

Ethical Concerns ........................................................................................................................... 58

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Conclusion ................................................................................................................................ 58

Chapter 4: Research Findings ....................................................................................................... 59

Survey Respondents’ Demographic Profile .............................................................................. 60

Findings .................................................................................................................................... 61

Summary ....................................................................................................................................... 71

Chapter 5: Discussion of the Research Findings .......................................................................... 73

Summary of the Research Results ................................................................................................ 73

Discussion of the Research Results .............................................................................................. 75

In Relation to the Theoretical Framework ................................................................................ 75

In Relation to the Literature ...................................................................................................... 78

Limitations of the Study and Impact on Results ........................................................................... 82

Implications of the Research Findings for Practice .................................................................. 83

Implications of the Research Findings for Future Research ..................................................... 86

Conclusion .................................................................................................................................... 89

References ..................................................................................................................................... 91

Appendix A ................................................................................................................................. 107

Six Sections of DASA ............................................................................................................ 107

Section one. ......................................................................................................................... 107

Section two.......................................................................................................................... 107

Section three. ....................................................................................................................... 107

Section four. ........................................................................................................................ 108

Section five. ........................................................................................................................ 108

Section six. .......................................................................................................................... 108

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Appendix B ................................................................................................................................. 109

Second Circuit Title IX Cases ................................................................................................ 109

Appendix C ................................................................................................................................. 111

DASA Definition: ................................................................................................................... 111

Appendix D ................................................................................................................................. 112

New York State Sexting Statute ............................................................................................. 112

Appendix E ................................................................................................................................. 113

Consent Form .......................................................................................................................... 113

Appendix F.................................................................................................................................. 115

Survey Instrument ................................................................................................................... 115

Appendix G ................................................................................................................................. 121

Complete List of DASA Instructional Resources ................................................................... 121

Appendix H ................................................................................................................................. 122

Cartoon Illustrated By Student ............................................................................................... 122

Appendix I .................................................................................................................................. 123

Article Written By Student ..................................................................................................... 123

Appendix J .................................................................................................................................. 124

Question Presented By Parent On Bullying ............................................................................ 124

Appendix K ................................................................................................................................. 125

The Determinates for The Three VADIR Categories ............................................................. 125

Intimidation, Harassment, Menacing, or Bullying Behavior and No Physical Contact. ........ 125
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List of Tables

Table 1 Descriptive Statistics of Teachers’ Tenure at the School 58

Table 2 Descriptive Statistics of Teachers’ Total Teaching Tenure 59

Table 3 Descriptive Statistics of Cyberharassment Incidents Observed 61

Table 4 Correlation of Teachers View of Cyberharassment as Hurtful 63

Table 5 Correlation of Teachers Opinion of if Cyberharassment is a Serious Problem 64

Table 6 Descriptive Statistics For Reasons Teachers Do Not Consistently Discuss

Online Behaviors 65

Table 7 Descriptive Statistics Why DASA Standards Are Not Implemented

Into Lesson Plans 65

Table 8 How Effective DASA In Cultivating Civility 68

Table 9 Reasons DASA is Ineffective 68

Table 10 Violent and Disruptive Incident Reporting (VADIR) System 86

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List of Figures

Figure 1 Reasons Why Students Were Cyberharassed (percent) 60

Figure 2 Actions Taken by Teacher’s After Witnessing Cyberharassment 62

Figure 3 Frequency In Which Teachers Talk To Their Students 64

Figure 4 Teachers Most Commonly Used Instructional Resource 66

Figure 5 How Effective DASA In Cultivating Civility 66

Figure 6 Has DASA Impacted the Number of Cyberharassment Incidents 67