Staff addresses cyberbullying

In the past few years, with technological intelligence on the rise, school officials have been warning parents about the continuously mounting threat that has the potential to be just as dangerous as drugs and alcohol: cyberbullying.

The CHS anti-bullying campaign that started at the beginning of this school year has been combating a wave of cyberbullying reports as well as the in-school taunting that prompted the creation of the anti-bullying committee in the first place. With the use of cell phones, Facebook, and e-mail, students now have more ways to pick on their fellow classmates, affecting victims at school, home and even work. 

“Physical bullying, emotional bullying and cyberbullying initiated the bullying committee,” assistant principal Doreen Brandes said. “It’s important [that we help] because what you do at home impacts you at school.” 

According to Brandes, in a survey conducted by CHS last year that assessed student’s comfort in school, students made an extra effort to comment that cyberbullying was a problem. The anti-bullying campaign was then created to help battle this ever-growing issue. A follow-up survey will be done in the spring of 2010 to see if the campaign’s efforts have paid off. 

Many students who are victims of cyberbullying can be depressed and not want to go to school at all. 

“Bullies think that they are just teasing,” Principal Joan Benz said. “However, the definition of bullying lies with the victim.” 

According to Paul Dermont, a member of the anti-bullying committee, cyberbullying is appealing to bullies because they do not have to physically confront anyone, and they can hurt people without facing them while remaining in the comfort of their own home.

It is especially hard to catch bullies who operate through the web and text messages because they often choose not to identify themselves. However, the bullying committee takes reports of any kind seriously and, depending on the situation, chooses whether to talk to the submitter of the report, the alleged bully, the parents of the victim and bully or all parties.

Though administrators do get calls from worried parents who notice their child is more depressed or having trouble with bullies at school or at home, administrators who see troubling behavior in a student also take initiative to fix the problem. They may call them in for a conference right away, and if their behavior persists, their parents are notified.

“[The bullying committee] exists to make students feel safe at school,” Dermont said. “We will always do our best to instill a feeling of security in our students at home [as well].”

Bullying committee tackles hateful behavior

CHS has implemented a new anti-bullying initiative this year with the hopes of decreasing the amount of students who reported in a schoolwide survey conducted last year that they felt uncomfortable at school.

The slogan “No Place for Hate,” posted in each hallway and most classrooms, is part of a larger plan developed by a CHS Bullying Committee with the assistance of a Department of Health and Human Services program called “The ABCs of Bullying,” which offers guidelines that administration, teachers and parents should follow to handle a bullying incident.

“Bullying can be verbal, physical, ostracizing or cyber,” assistant principal Doreen Brandes said.  “Any belittling is against the rules.”

According to Brandes, the plan has a “three-pronged approach,” which includes efforts from staff, students and parents to prevent bullying. 

To emphasize the student “prong,” another committee that will allow interested students to join is scheduled to have its first meeting Sept. 24.  The hopes for this committee are to stop the bullying as it happens and to add fresh ideas to the plan already set in place.

Many students see the value in the new push to eliminate bullying in school and think the numerous advertisements  serve their purpose.

“I think this new [initiative] seems really useful and productive,” sophomore Robert Gutierrez said.  “I think if kids [listen to] the initiative to be nice, everything will be better.”

Although some other students do not feel there was ever a major bullying problem to warrant this new initiative, they are generally pleased CHS is taking a strong stand against it.

“[There wasn’t a big problem], but this initiative will help because kids will try harder to stop [the bullying] and be more aware [of its presence],” junior Priscilla Wu said.

According to Brandes, the ultimate goal of the initiative is to raise awareness to the point where bullying stops.  Her committee anticipates broadening the program’s possibilities by developing it throughout the cluster and bringing it to middle and elementary schools.

Brandes also says that bullying goes beyond the standard stereotypes, and that all kinds are equally reprehensible.

“We have a firm belief in this school that instruction is number one,” Brandes said. “Everyone should feel engaged in learning and enjoy the school, but if someone is being bothered, they can’t learn.”