By Kristine Thomas
It’s often called “the dark side of technology.” It’s been in the news after teen suicides and when a famous baseball player defended his daughter. It’s easy to do – the tools are ubiquitous – cell phones, iPads, computers and social media sites such as Facebook, Tumbler, Instagram, Kik, Twitter or Snapchat. And it’s something that happens everywhere, including in schools.
Cyberbullying is happening in our communities too.
“We have had about three cases this year, which I think is the most I have seen in the past three years since coming to Robert Frost,” said Robert Frost Principal Kirstin Jorgenson. At Silverton High School, Assistant Principal Jodi Drescher handles several cases each month.
According to stopbullying.gov, a website managed by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, cyberbullying is when someone uses an electronic technology to send a mean text message or email, start a rumor, or uses social media to embarrass, humiliate or harass another. Often the bully uses a fake profile so the victim won’t know who the attacker is.
Because technology and social media sites change quickly, the research on cyberbullying is continuing to develop. The 2010-11 School Crime Supplement from the National Center for Educational Statistics and Bureau of Justice Statistics shows 9 percent of sixth to 12th grade students experienced cyberbullying. The 2013 Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance Survey found 15 percent of high school students were bullied in the previous year.
Kennedy High School Principal Craig Swanson said one challenge adults face is that as soon as adults figure out how to use a social media site, the students move to another. It’s a chase to follow students use of technology.
Swanson said he handles five to 10 incidents a year having “some element of cyberbullying.”
“That is not to say it only occurs that often, it is just how many are brought to us each year,” Swanson said. “It is difficult to say who the bullies are because it varies.”
Both Silver Falls and Mount Angel School districts have policies on how to handle cyberbullying. There are also lessons in health or other class on what cyberbullying is and how to prevent it. When a student reports he or she is the victim of cyberbullying, a school official will investigate, Swanson said. If there is a possible crime, school administrators work with the police.
“If it is a criminal investigation, the police would take over. If it is just a school incident, we would take all appropriate actions to ensure safety for all students and hope that our actions help create the best learning environment possible for our students,” Swanson said.
Educators said bullies can be either boys and girls – going after the opposite sex or their own gender. They can be straight-A students, athletes, student leaders, kids who attend church every Sunday as well as kids who miss school or appear dissatisfied with life. The idea only the “bad kids” are bullies is untrue. Technology allows anyone to hide behind an electronic device and social media.
“I’ve seen cell phone conversations between kids whose parents would be in complete disbelief if they were to see them,” Butte Creek Elementary Principal Kevin Palmer said. “Anyone can be the victim, anyone can be the bully.”
“Bullies are anyone and everyone because they can hide behind the curtain and coverage that social media provides,” Drescher said.
Palmer and Jorgenson both say they have met with students who claim they didn’t send the message, insisting someone else used their phone. Parents are urged to talk about the importance of not sharing pass codes.
Palmer said the majority of cyberbullying incidents take place outside school – at home or over weekends. A cyberbully can anonymously post a message or image and quickly distribute it. Because the message is posted anonymously, it can be sometimes impossible to trace. And deleting inappropriate or harassing messages, texts, and pictures is extremely difficult. When a student is the victim of cyberbullying, it is recommended he or she take a screen shot of the photo or message. It’s also recommended they talk with an adult – either their parent or someone at school – about the incident.
Palmer said cyberbullying is usually handled at school because that is where the victim turns for help. It affects a student’s ability to perform in school. According to stopbullying.gov, students who are cyberbullied are more likely to use alcohol and drugs; skip school; be bullied in person; receive poor grades; not want to go to school; have lower self-esteem and have more health problems.
Clues to cyberbullying include quickly switching or closing computer programs or cell phones when an adult is in the room; using a computer at all hours; becoming upset if he or she can’t use a computer, avoiding discussing what he or she is doing on the computer and having multiple accounts with one or more unfamiliar names.
Drescher said cyberbullying goes beyond victim and bully.
“Even people who do not start the cyberbullying but share it, go along with it or say nothing to stop it are contributing and participating,” she said. “Even if they aren’t the first to start the bullying, they become the audience the bully performs for or tries to impress.”
Drescher said bullies try to make others look weak in an attempt to build themselves up and appear more powerful.
“We do not tolerate bullying, but tracking down the instigators can be next to impossible,” she said. “We try to stop all that we can. We give students tools to deal with these instances and sometimes contact the particular sites about inappropriate posts.”
For example, Drescher said Instagram has been receptive to school requests to have posts deleted or blocked.
Mark Twain Dean of Students April Murphy has dealt with cyberbullying. “The number one way we hear about cyberbullying is through other students, which is great! That speaks to the (school) climate, we work hard to show students that their safety is our number one priority.”
When Murphy begins an investigation she talks to the people who are either victims or who saw the post. She makes sure the victim knows it is not their fault.
“I always offer the victim an opportunity to talk to the cyberbully face to face in a mediation facilitated by me. This is often awesome and powerful,” Murphy said. “It allows the victim to no longer be a victim and to gain their power back. The bully gets to really see the damage that they have caused. Very rarely does the bully not show remorse when confronted by their victim.”
Silver Crest Elementary School Principal Jamie McCarty said when adults hear about the problem, some may want to prohibit their children from using technology.
Instead, he said, they need to continue to educate kids on the proper and beneficial ways to use it.
“They are powerful tools that are not going away,” McCarty said. “We must continue to monitor, but also teach proper ways to use technology that is acceptable and responsible.”
