Fred Derf Veteran Posted February 12, 2007 Veteran Share Posted February 12, 2007 (edited) 11 19 suspended for cyber-bullying Students target high school principal Feb 12, 2007 04:30 AM Isabel Teotonio Staff reporter It started out as a cyberspace water cooler for students of a Catholic high school in Caledon East to vent about their principal, Edward McMahon. But as more and more students logged on to the popular online social networking site Facebook.com, and joined the group "McMahon ... Grinch of School Spirit," the venting became vulgar. Postings included sexually explicit, derogatory and demeaning remarks about the principal and as a result of the "cyber-bullying," at least 11 male and female students at Robert F. Hall Catholic Secondary School were last week suspended for up to eight days, said board spokesperson Bruce Campbell. "(McMahon) is very disappointed in the kids because they were amongst the school's leaders," said Campbell of the Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board, adding that one was on student council and another a top school athlete. "They blamed the principal for banning personal electronic devices and uniform policies, but those are board-wide policies. "It's really behaviour that's injurious to the moral tone of the school and it undermined authority," said Campbell, adding that, according to the board's "Catholic Code of Conduct," cyber-bullying a student or staff member can garner a suspension of up to 20 days. But some students, who spoke to the Star on the condition of anonymity, said the number of those suspended was as high as 19 and that some were sent home for simply calling the principal an idiot. McMahon could not be reached for comment last night. "Some did go over the top, but some of us didn't say a whole lot and we're out," said one student. "I wasn't saying he was an idiot, I said he acted like an idiot and that's my right, and the fact that they suspended me for saying he acted a certain way is a little over the edge. "It's frustrating, because other students have written about (McMahon) on RateMyTeacher.com, but nothing has happened to them, because on that website it's anonymous." Another student said she was suspended after responding to a posting made by a male student who mentioned inciting a riot to fight the ban on personal electronic devices. The student said she was opposed to the riot but supported lifting the ban. She then added "I guess the wording I used was wrong. " I want a scholarship for university ? why then would I want to be suspended?" One student said that the creators and administrators of the group, which had nearly 300 members, were all suspended, regardless of whether they wrote anything about the principal. The idea behind starting up the group, which has since been taken down, was a good one, said another student who posted messages but was not suspended. "Some of his policies are ridiculous and for them to go unchallenged is unhealthy," said the student, adding "a lot of people are arguing that we have a right to express our opinion." "This was an overreaction ? some of the stuff wasn't that bad. "He could've laughed it off and said, `Kids will be kids.' "We do have the right to express our opinion ? to a certain extent, of course." Board spokesperson Campbell said he was unaware of anyone being suspended for simply calling the principal an idiot. He added that it's one thing to complain about your teacher or principal, but "you're taking it to a whole new level when you're putting it out there on the Internet." Some parents were initially concerned the action was a little heavy, said Campbell, adding after they reviewed the posted material they withdrew their complaints. http://www.thestar.com/News/article/180712 Edited February 14, 2007 by Fred Derf Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AdverseDeviant Posted February 12, 2007 Share Posted February 12, 2007 what a loser. he gets embarrassed kids rank on him and goes out and suspends them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laurë Veteran Posted February 12, 2007 Veteran Share Posted February 12, 2007 Most head teachers are wannabe mini-Hitlers, it doesn't surprise me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ozgeek Posted February 12, 2007 Share Posted February 12, 2007 Good for him. It will only result in more bullying. The only way to stop bullying is to ingore them. If you don't like it...too bad. There are others that do. EVERYONE is entilitied to their opinion and to be suspended (which is infact like being given a number of free days off to do what they like lol). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hum Posted February 12, 2007 Share Posted February 12, 2007 :laugh: I don't see how you can feel threatend by words on the screen. Silliness. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fred Derf Veteran Posted February 13, 2007 Author Veteran Share Posted February 13, 2007 Student-to-student cyber-bullying is a serious problem. It isn't as obvious as physical bullying but it can be as damaging. More often than not, it is girls bullying other girls. I can understand why a school would have such a policy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ozgeek Posted February 13, 2007 Share Posted February 13, 2007 Yeah but by suspending them will only show the attackers that the victim (principal) is weak and believed to be deserved more bullying. This is like you calling the police if someone calls you names or say something you dislikes. The attackers will want to do it again and again and again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
I am Reid Posted February 13, 2007 Share Posted February 13, 2007 I once got suspended for 3 days for making a web site, and the 1,000 or so kids at my school that used the site didnt get in trouble for using it. I was very ****ed, I got some really stupid pictures of the principals from someone in Yearbook, and really thought about putting them on there, but I didnt want to get in even more trouble. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
primexx Posted February 13, 2007 Share Posted February 13, 2007 Wait, school boards operate catholic schools? I thought they wernt supposed to? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rmorris003 Posted February 13, 2007 Share Posted February 13, 2007 there is a catholic school board Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Denis W. Veteran Posted February 13, 2007 Veteran Share Posted February 13, 2007 Wait, school boards operate catholic schools? I thought they wernt supposed to? You haven't been in our city then, my friend. Apart from Catholicism integrated into the life of the school (and all the rituals that accompany it, plus the mandatory 4 year religion course, and OH yes the uniforms - which some over at RMT.ca are complaining about), the Catholic boards in the GTA are publicly funded. Yes, and that also means it regularly falls short on funding for school needs. :pinch: Anyways, things don't look too good for this principal at RateMyTeachers.ca (the 's' is there, or else you get a search engine). Knowing the state of our school boards, the administration is regularly rotated every now and then - in my four years of high school, I've had two principals and two sets of vice principals. All that school can do is just wait for someone else to take his place. I remember a program back on CTV's W5H that discussed the serious problem of jackasses amongst my age group that do nothing but slaughter the crap out of teachers - threatening them with knives, drawing out guns, grabbing their hair, kicking them, spitting, giving them the finger, excessive swearing, and even treating their cars as demolition derby scrap - in that case, yeah, go and expel those ######. They're clearly bullying. But remind me why calling someone an "idiot" for his twisted policies is the same as "you are such a <vulgar term for homosexual persons>" or "you won't sleep tonight." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andareed Posted February 13, 2007 Share Posted February 13, 2007 Wait, school boards operate catholic schools? I thought they wernt supposed to? The Canadian Constitution explicitly states that Upper Canada (aka Ontario) and Quebec are to treat the Protestant (aka "public") and Catholic schools equally. Ontario, Alberta, and parts of Saskatchewan are the only provinces that still have separate school boards based on religion. Quebec is a bit different, in that they have distinct English and French schools. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
well... Posted February 13, 2007 Share Posted February 13, 2007 Most head teachers are wannabe mini-Hitlers, it doesn't surprise me. That is so true! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fred Derf Veteran Posted February 13, 2007 Author Veteran Share Posted February 13, 2007 Facebook malice leads to school faceoff Feb 13, 2007 04:30 AM Tess Kalinowski Education Reporter They're the most computer savvy generation in history. But kids don't always recognize the human impact of their online activities. As most of the students suspended after derogatory remarks about their principal were posted online return to class at a Caledon East high school today, education experts say policing cyberspace is a growing and increasingly complex part of their jobs. Just because most online bullying and harassment happens on home computers doesn't mean schools can ignore it, said Blair Hilts, president of the Ontario Principals' Council. "We all recognize students are maturing. But part of maturing is being responsible for your actions," he said. The Grade 11 and 12 students at Robert F. Hall Catholic Secondary School were suspended for three to eight days after principal Edward McMahon discovered last week he was the subject of ridicule, crude remarks and illustrations on the popular networking site Facebook. The postings, removed Friday, called McMahon "the grinch of school spirit." Students called him an "idiot" and derided him for failing, in their view, to take some academic concerns seriously. One suggested the principal perform a sex act. Another called on students to stage a riot. Some postings suggest students thought McMahon was behind a recent board policy to ban cellphones at school to prevent teachers being embarrassed by videos showing up on YouTube. The material on Facebook clearly violates the board's Catholic Code of Conduct, said Bruce Campbell, spokesperson for the Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board, which states "all inappropriate references to board or school personnel and/or students in computer-related mediums such as web pages or email are violations. "Using computer technology to communicate inappropriate, demeaning, harassing or threatening messages shall be subject to disciplinary action. Police may be contacted." But the board confirmed yesterday that no criminal charges are pending. Although he's not aware of any similar incidents at other Dufferin-Peel schools, Campbell said they probably exist because cyber-bullying and harassment is so widespread. All students receive anti-bullying education, so "there's no way anybody entered into this without knowing specifically what they're doing," he said. Not necessarily, said Cathy Wing of the Ottawa-based Media Awareness Network. She points to a 2005 survey of 5,200 students in Grades 4 to 11 showing kids often don't recognize the damage caused by their online behaviour. It also showed the Internet can be a place where kids get away with being mean, she said. Of the 34 per cent of students who reported being bullied, 27 per cent said they were victims of online harassment. The behaviours aren't new, just the forum. "(Kids) are doing things they've always done. They're trying to get privacy from their parents, they play with identity, they're exploring different roles, these are all normal adolescent tasks but they're doing them online," she said. "There's that tension between freedom of expression and creating an environment where teachers and students feel free from harassment." School officials walk a fine line between not wanting to give credibility to rumours and remarks posted online and wanting to stop unacceptable behaviour, said Donna Marie Kennedy, president of the Ontario English Catholic Teachers' Association. "Rumours are a terrible thing regardless of what profession you're in," she said. But some criticism of authority on the Internet could be legitimate, says professor Avner Levin, a business law expert at Ryerson University. The rules of online behaviour are still being written, but boards are probably on safe ground if they're able to draw a clear connection between online activity and bringing a school or individual into disrepute. http://www.thestar.com/News/article/181021 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skiver Veteran Posted February 13, 2007 Veteran Share Posted February 13, 2007 good for him, i hope he teaches these kids a lesson! i dont see why they should be allowed to get away with it... and simply saying that we should ignore bullying and it will go away is just plain ignorance!! how about the thousands of kids each year that take their own lives because some sad individual decided they were going to make this persons life a living hell? when they suffered in silence did their bully stop? Kids these days have absolutly no respect for anyone these days. and imo this teacher made a stand for respect. personally i think they should have had harsher punishments for the more agressive remarks. they are saying its because they arent allowed their mobile phones? why the hell do they need them in the first place? i mean a few years ago i was one of those kids who despite what teachers said, i brought mine in anyway but i didnt really use it, why? because i have no real reason to use it! their is no need for them to have it... its nothing more then a distraction! Some people need to learn to discipline their kids and teach them a little respect Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spacer Posted February 13, 2007 Share Posted February 13, 2007 Regardless of whether or not what these kids said is demeaning or "mean", they still have the right to say it. Furthermore, if it happens outside of school grounds (ie. on a home computer in this case) then the school has no jurisdiction. These kids should not have been suspended. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skiver Veteran Posted February 13, 2007 Veteran Share Posted February 13, 2007 maybe not, but i still support the teacher for showing the kids that they wont tolerate crap like this! why should anyone have to sit by and watch a bunch of immature kids say bad things about them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fred Derf Veteran Posted February 13, 2007 Author Veteran Share Posted February 13, 2007 Regardless of whether or not what these kids said is demeaning or "mean", they still have the right to say it. Furthermore, if it happens outside of school grounds (ie. on a home computer in this case) then the school has no jurisdiction. These kids should not have been suspended. This was the defining comment from the article from my perspective: Some parents were initially concerned the action was a little heavy, said Campbell, adding after they reviewed the posted material they withdrew their complaints. Cyber-bullying is a real problem and it isn't just limited to school grounds yet school administrators have some responsiblity, along with parents, in stopping it. Ignoring bullying does not make the problem go away. Education and awareness does. These kids have to be told that cyber-bullying is wrong. Bullying cannot be a part of an egalitarian society (which I think is something that we all strive for). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fred Derf Veteran Posted February 14, 2007 Author Veteran Share Posted February 14, 2007 Bullying of disabled boy put online Students baffled YouTube post of 7-year-old being tripped, jostled is latest student misuse of online forums Feb 14, 2007 04:30 AM Tess Kalinowski Education Reporter A group of Pickering elementary students has apologized for videotaping the tripping and taunting of a disabled schoolmate and then posting it on YouTube. This is the latest incident to come to light where students ? from young to university age ? have used an online forum to demean and harass other students and even administrators. Yesterday, most of the students suspended from a Caledon high school returned to classes after posting derogatory remarks about their principal. In Durham, Trustee Chris Braney said he received a call about two weeks ago from the parents of a child who was videotaped being tripped and taunted at Vaughan Willard Public School. "It was disturbing enough it prompted me to do something quickly," said Braney. He said the board-wide cyber-bullying policy, which was already in the works, is now being fast-tracked and is expected to go to the board Monday. While Braney would not reveal the ages of students involved, he said the victim suffered a stroke due to complications from strep throat when he was 7 and is partially paralyzed. The video, made on school property but posted online from a home computer, was removed from the website once parents were informed. Like many school officials, Braney said he is alarmed by the increasing and "malicious" use of websites in recent months. Board officials refused yesterday to say how many of Vaughan Willard's 396 students were involved or what, if any, punishment they received following the incident in late January. "Students involved received consequences appropriate to their age and conduct and were encouraged to apologize," which they did, said Andrea Pidwerbecki, a spokesperson for the Durham District School Board. A code of conduct posted on the Vaughan Willard website says consequences for students who do not comply with the school's standards range from a caution to suspension or expulsion. Vaughan Willard was one of five schools in the board named last year to pilot an Internet safety program for Grade 7 and 8 students called CyberCops. The school also advertises character education on its website. Since the YouTube incident, Durham police have been invited to come and talk about Internet safety with students, said Pidwerbecki. The board is also holding a seminar on safety, including Internet safety, on March 7. In the meantime, the majority of 19 suspended students were back in class yesterday at Robert F. Hall Catholic Secondary School in Caledon East. The students were sent home after posting crude insults about their principal on Facebook, a social networking website popular with teens. And today, some members of the Loyal Order of Waterbuffaloes at Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo are to undergo sensitivity training after a racist incident that was part of a January winter carnival. The event, sponsored by the school's student union, was an around-the-world theme. The white Laurier students, representing Team Jamaica, posed for one picture in blackface and with empty fried chicken buckets on their heads, while another featured a man wearing a tie-dyed T-shirt and dreadlocks as he smoked a large, fake joint. The photos were later posted on YouTube. The student union and the university have both apologized. At Ryerson University, a growing number of online chat groups for white students threaten to turn back civil rights by 50 years, warns student union president Muhammad Ali Jabbar. "This is wrong and Ryerson's code of conduct does not tolerate prejudice," says Jabbar, 22, a third-year engineering student born in Pakistan who describes himself as "brown." Several Facebook groups for white students have been launched recently by students at Ryerson, including "Equal Rights for Whites," which boasts 143 members, and "I'm a White Minority at a Toronto University," with 206 members. Ryerson provost Errol Aspevig agreed it is a concern when students violate the values of tolerance and equality but said it is not clear what authority the university would have over a private online chat group. http://www.thestar.com/News/article/181506 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brodel Posted February 14, 2007 Share Posted February 14, 2007 Student-to-student cyber-bullying is a serious problem. It isn't as obvious as physical bullying but it can be as damaging.More often than not, it is girls bullying other girls. I can understand why a school would have such a policy. Yea I agree, my mum works at a school and they have had cases of cyber-bullying and I can assure you that the victim didn't find it funny or meaningless just because it was online. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skiver Veteran Posted February 14, 2007 Veteran Share Posted February 14, 2007 poor boy, i mean bullying is bad enough as it is but at 7!!! the thing that concerns me here is that it doesnt mention the boys ages... i mean i know kids these days are getting more computer savvy but i dont think 7yo's are that capable... so i supspect older children who should no better are now doing this! makes me sick tbh Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Denis W. Veteran Posted February 14, 2007 Veteran Share Posted February 14, 2007 That story is a bit disturbing. "Happy slapping" (the term given to using cell phones to tape student abuse and mass circulating it via Bluetooth or the 'net) is complete bullcrap and must be stopped. However, about: maybe not, but i still support the teacher for showing the kids that they wont tolerate crap like this! why should anyone have to sit by and watch a bunch of immature kids say bad things about them. Even with the group of idiots going around thinking they "run" the school (I freaking hate it when people say they "run" this and that), sites like RMT.ca are still needed - not for ridiculing teachers, but to mainly warn future students about the teacher's attitude. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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