Bald Eagle Area takes on bullying

A bill passed last year allows individuals to be charged for the cyber harassment of a child.

House Bill 229 was created to protect those against what’s colloquially known as cyberbullying, and was put into effect in September.

An adult accused of online harassment could be charged with a third-degree misdemeanor; a youth offender could be remanded to juvenile detention or educational programs depending on the severity of the act.

For local school districts, the form of bullying most identifies with students who use social media with their peers.

But districts like Bald Eagle Area are trying to put an end to bullying before it becomes a problem.

“I’ll tell you a million times I think we have the best students in Centre County, but we’re not immune to those issues,” said Bald Eagle Area Middle and High School Principal Jack Tobias.

On Tuesday afternoon, the school partnered with the state Attorney General’s Office to hold two afternoon presentations about the effects and consequences of bullying.

About 950 students were present during the event.

It’s an annual series of anti-bullying programs sparked several years ago after an incident involving inappropriate pictures of a student that went viral, Tobias said.

He said the picture made it to other school districts like State College and Keystone Central, before Bald Eagle Area administrators became aware of the incident.

“We had that issue, and want to do everything we can to be proactive,” Tobias said. “If we can help one kid, then this program is worth it.”

Presenter Erika Dominick, education and outreach specialist, said bullying transformed from the playground to the Internet.

“The things you say or do online can affect your future,” she said. “What you post online can also affect other people. All it takes is five seconds to think before you post.”

She gave two examples of how bullying affected the lives of two Pennsylvania students, and the people they were connected to — and they came via video documentary.

One student, Jeff, committed suicide after being bullied by students.

A bully is defined as someone who uses strength and power to intimidate or belittle another person. It also includes constant harassment of others who are generally insecure or vulnerable, Dominick said.

Another student, an eighth-grader named Gabriella, was charged by police, and sent to a juvenile detention facility after threatening online to bring a gun to school. The threat reportedly came as a way to respond back to those bullying her.

But Dominick urged students to tell an adult about issues before trying to take matters into their own hands.

Tobias said the Snapchat app is one of the biggest forms of social media among students at the middle school level.

The app allows users to send pictures to other users that disappear after a certain amount of time, and cannot be saved.

However, there are ways around it.

“You get a Snapchat and show your friends who can take pictures of the screen and save the shot,” Tobias said. “Nothing just goes away when people can find a way around saving what was sent.”

What the school advisers and program administrators are encouraging is for students to either stop taking questionable photos, or if that’s not preventable, then to not send them.

“If you wouldn’t send it to your mom, then don’t send it to anyone else,” Dominick said.

This story was originally published February 9, 2016 at 5:58 PM with the headline "Bald Eagle Area takes on bullying."