Correct Response: B. Posting lewd, offensive, or sexually explicit messages about another person online constitutes a form of sexual harassment. In this scenario, the student is being cyberbullied and should immediately report the messages to his or her parent/guardian or a trusted adult. In contrast with teasing (A), the intent of such messages is to intimidate and harm the student. Defamation (C) is a legal concept that involves an identified individual or organization making untrue statements about an individual that damages his or her reputation or good standing in the community. Under Massachusetts law, the lack of an identified close relationship between the offender and victim causes the mistreatment to be defined as harassment rather than abuse (D).
