TORRINGTON – “It’s not just in Chicago and New York and Los Angeles, it’s happening in your community …” – Police Officer Jeff Bean warned during a digital-safety presentation at Torrington High School Auditorium on Monday.
Ahead of the first day of school, Goshen County School District No. 1 staff, parents and law-enforcement officers attended the educational seminar on the dangers of bullying and cyber-bullying.
Bean, creator and founder of Act on Bullying, Inc., provided real examples of messages children – some not yet teenagers – send online, including threats, requests for lewd photos, and encouraging others to harm themselves.
Bean said schools deal with various challenges as a result of bullying and cyber-bullying, such as impacts on day-to-day operations, a lack of resources and liability concerns.
As a proactive step against cyber-bullying, Bean encouraged schools to become active on social media and monitor online activity, listen to students, promote digital citizenship, maintain open communication with parents, train staff regularly and partner with law enforcement, among others.
Through anecdotes and current research, Bean strives to “offer solutions for parents; recognition and response training for school faculty and administration; as well as prevention tips and coping skills for our youth on how to deal with the dangers of bullying and cyber-bullying,” according to the Act on Bullying, Inc. website (actonbullying.com). “Statistics show that 15 percent of all school absences are related to bullying, and kids who have been cyber-bullied are 1.9 times more likely to attempt suicide. These statistics aren’t going to improve unless we all make the effort to ‘Act on Bullying’.”
