Libertyville school goes online to help prevent bullying

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Updated: March 10, 2012 8:11AM

Highland Middle School has recently placed a new form on the school’s website which allows students and parents to anonymously report incidences of bullying. The form can be found at www.d70schools.org/schoolsites/?school_id=4 under the link entitled bullying.

The form asks students or parents to fill out six questions, including who is being bullied, who is doing the bullying, where and when the bullying is occurring, details of the specific situation, and other witnesses to the bullying. The form can be used to report incidents of bullying that have occurred at school, at a school-sponsored activity, or on a school bus on the way to and from school.

Lorenzo Cervantes, dean of students at Highland Middle School in Libertyville, said the form gives students who may be afraid to come forward a way to report incidents of bullying while remaining anonymous. Previously, the only way to report bullying was to fill out a form in the school’s office or report it directly to a teacher of administrator.

Cervantes said the on-line form can be filled out by students who have been bullied or their parents as well as children that have witnessed acts of bullying but are unsure how to help. “Many times, kids see and hear what’s happening but they don’t want to get involved,” he said.

Since the school posted the form on its website in late November, it has received many reports of bullying that it likely would not have received otherwise, Cervantes said.

Lots of response

“Three hours after we went live we received our first report and we had two or three reports the first day,” he said. Since November, he said the school has probably received about 40 reports of bullying through the on-line form, which is more than double the amount they normally receive from other sources.

Bullying is any act of intentional aggressive behavior which can take the form of physical or verbal harassment. It can cause the victim to feel upset, ashamed, embarrassed and anxious about going to school.

Nationally, Cervantes said, it’s estimated that about 30 percent of students, grades sixth through 12, have reported being victims of bullying.

“We haven’t seen an increase in bullying at our school but even one percent is too much,” he said. “Most of the bullying behavior will go on unless something is done about it.”

Highland School Principal John Hallmark said the new reporting form makes sense because many students like anonymity when reporting incidents and frequently use the Internet.

“To have access to something like this seems like it’s really a natural fit for our students,” he said. “I think there’s a better comfort level. They’re on-line all the time.”

The form is the first of its kind in area public schools and may set a trend as a tool to help curb bullying, district officials say. Cervantes said some of the elementary schools in the district have expressed an interest in the idea but none have implemented it as of yet.