Moon Area High School Tackles Cyber-Bullying

A handful of parents turned out Wednesday night at for a presentation on one of the most important issues facing kids today: online bullying.

Elaine Surma, Special Agent for the Bureau of Criminal Investigation in the Pennsylvania Department of Justice, gave the presentation to parents, as she did to 1,200 Moon high school students earlier in the day.

“You could hear a pin drop in that assembly today so I knew the kids were listening,” Surma said.

Cyber-bullying occurs when a child is threatened or harassed by another child through use of the Internet, cell phone or other interactive technology.

Even if a child gets a harassing text at home from another student, a school can get involved, Surma said. Pennsylvania schools are required to have an anti-bullying policy.

The point Surma sought to get across: whether it involves using Facebook, Twitter, text messaging or phone calls, cyber-bullying is a crime -- with punishment involved.

“Whether it falls under terrorist threats, ethnic intimidation or solicitation to commit assault, it’s a crime and you can and may be arrested for it,” she said. “We have a lot of cases where someone will continually act in a repeatedly hostile manner toward someone by posting on Facebook or through text. This is not a game and it’s not okay.”

Surma related a story of a Slippery Rock University student who was recently harassed by other students.

“A rumor started at school that she was a drug addict and used heroin and it progressed and progressed,” she said. The student ultimately took her own life.

The focus of the presentation was to let kids know that there are people out there who can help.

“Go to your parents, your teacher or your counselor but don’t keep it to yourself," Surma said. "We can resolve the situation."

Parents viewed the same video shown earlier in the day to students. It depicted a teenage girl who was bullied more and more by a group of girls in her school. The end result: she posted a threat to kill the girls on her Facebook page. Police arrested her the next day while she was at school.

The girl’s message in the video was to never bully others in response because it accomplishes nothing but more harm. She recommended going directly to an adult and telling them what was occurring, saying retaliating makes things worse.

Surma suggested that kids stop bullying each other, help friends who are being bullied, and report if they are being bullied.

“These points will strengthen all of our kids and make them more resilient in the end.”

She also told parents to monitor their children’s activity on computers and phones.

“If your child has a computer just remember that you paid for it, you pay for the Internet and you have every right to know what is going on in your child’s life. Buck up folks. It’s time to be a parent,” Surma said. “We can’t put it all on the schools. Parents have to take responsibility, as well.”