Cyber Bullying

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Last 5 posts in View from the Crew

• Significance over Seniority - May 19th, 2010
• Setbacks of Social Networking - May 13th, 2010
• A Night to Remember - May 5th, 2010
• Looking Back At Allatoona - April 29th, 2010
• A Sea of Trouble - April 23rd, 2010

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February 22, 2010 • Genevieve DeVille  
Filed under View from the Crew

We sat down with administrators and students to discuss the cause and effects behind cyber bullying and realized there are misconceptions of what schools can and can not do to fight the harassment. Most students tune out what warnings their parents and teachers give them about the dangers of online bullying. Facebook, MySpace, and Twitter are among the most common sites that kids use for their daily online socializing. Most students are unaware that many of their parents and teachers feel that socializing online is a positive thing when used properly. Our school administrators proves this to be true.“I think if used positively it gives students an outlet to share personal successes”, mentions Mrs. Wilkes. ”If [cyber bullying] happens at home, then I have no leeway”, says school administrator Mrs. Candace Wilkes, “Until they bring it to school and pass it around, I cannot discipline [the bully].” How do school officials even find out about the sites? When asked how he thinks cyber bullying is found out by schools, student Luke Miller replied, “They have undercover people that look for it.” “Usually parents, students, or teachers report [the misuse of networking sites],” she continued. What some kids don’t understand is that the school can not punish a bully who does it outside of school, even with the Allatoona High School Name or symbol on it. “We can’t do anything, especially if their name isn’t on it,” Mrs. Wilkes reiterates. The extensive handbooks mention everything but cyber bullying, so therefore school officials can’t do much about it unless it occurs on school grounds or with school property. But don’t be mistaken- punishments for online bullying on school property are severe. Not only can you be punished by your school and parents if you bully someone online, there consequences that come with it. Your reputation could be affected, and bullying creates a negative environment at school and some kids don’t feel safe. “It’s much easier to be mean when you’re anonymous,” Mrs. Wilkes describes why a bully chooses online social networks as their domain. Most kids, however, don’t even realize when they could be putting someone down online. Because you can’t physically hear and relate to a person, sometimes words can be taken the wrong way by just reading them. Though cyber bullying comes with many negative results, some good things can arise from such instances. Allatoona’s Morgan Wojihowski took a stand and set an example for students by starting a Facebook group against cyber bullying. “The whole rumor mill was getting out of hand,” she explains, “I could tell that a lot of people were opposed to [cyber bullying], but no one wanted to take a firm, publicized stand against it.” She makes very good points on her page, and many agree that creating it was what Allatoona needed. Morgan continues on, “I was thinking about it one day and I wondered to myself, ‘What if one of those girls or guys being talked about on that page was my sister or brother? What if it was me?’ It was then that I decided to make my own page, standing up to those [cyber bullying] pages. I was surprised at how much support I got, and it just goes to show that the majority of us aren’t into that type of drama, and that we don’t think it’s right or acceptable at all. One of us just has to take the stand to get the ball rolling.” Needless to say, many students agree that united, Allatoona should stand up against cyber bullying.