Community Education

Peninsula School District warns of rise in cyberbullying 

Peninsula School District is seeing a rise in online bullying, Superintendent Krestin Bahr reported to families and staff on Tuesday. Bahr, in a statement posted on the district’s website, called the trend “deeply concerning.”

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“Students have been posting unflattering and sometimes explicit photos of students and staff without their consent on social media sites, namely Instagram and Snapchat,” Bahr said. “These posts have been used to bully, mock, harass, and body shame others, students and staff. Sadly, this is a national epidemic and Peninsula School District is not an exception to this problem.” 

District officials didn’t say how many reports they’ve received so far this year.

“We are at the start of the school year, so we have not received many reports of bullying in general. However, we are aware that students use social media as a key communication tool outside of school,” Michael Farmer, the district’s new chief of schools, and Julie Shultz-Bartlett, deputy chief of schools, said in an emailed response to questions from Gig Harbor Now. “We investigate every report we receive, especially when it pertains to the school environment.” 

The district is not aware of any cases of AI-generated posts, they said. 

‘We hear you’ 

Bahr expressed concern for individuals targeted in the posts. 

“First, I want to say to those who shared their experiences: we hear you. We empathize with the pain and frustration you are feeling, and we stand with you,” Bahr said. “Every student and every staff member deserve to feel safe, valued, and respected.” 

The school board last year heard ongoing complaints from parents, students and community members about incidents of harassment and discrimination, spurring school leaders to double down on bullying. 

District’s response

Bahr said district staff stand ready to offer support. She encouraged anyone who is the target of a post or who sees an offensive post to report it to a trusted staff member or via the district’s anonymous reporting system, which links to the website hearmewa.org. The site has a tip line for abusive behavior and offers support to youth experiencing stress, anxiety, violent threats or sexual abuse.

“It is critical that these posts are reported in order to gain an accurate understanding of what is happening to students and staff online,” Bahr said. “Once the district receives a report of an inappropriate post, we immediately investigate and report the post to Meta — Instagram’s parent company — and request that the post be removed. In some cases, we may request that the account be blocked entirely.”     

Tackling online bullying 

Peninsula last year enacted a ban on cell phone use during school hours and blocked access to social media networks on district wi-fi networks. The ban complements existing policies prohibiting harassment, intimidation and bullying, Bahr said. 

“Our staff will redouble efforts to monitor for inappropriate cell phone use during the school day,” she said. “We will continue to educate students about digital citizenship and the importance of respect, both online and offline.”

The district won’t comment on specific cases because of student privacy laws. Peninsula handles each case differently, Farmer and Shultz-Bartlett said. The district’s responses to online bullying range from education and reteaching to punitive measures such as suspension.

Asked if police have been contacted about any of the offending posts, they said, “When appropriate, law enforcement has been involved. If a case of HIB targets an individual, they can choose to engage law enforcement, and the school can help facilitate that connection. However, the decision to involve law enforcement rests with the individual.”

Anti-bullying initiative 

Bahr asked Farmer to add online bullying to an in-depth review of the district’s approach to diversity, equity and inclusion. Shultz-Bartlett will convene a bullying awareness and prevention task force “to dive deeper into these issues and improve our understanding and responses,” Bahr said.

The group will include students, staff, parents and outside experts. It will analyze policies and procedures for both online and in-person harassment, intimidation and bullying. 

“As social media use and technology have increased, so have online incidents of HIB. Like other districts, we are not immune to this trend,” Farmer and Shultz-Bartlett said. “Our new initiatives seek to evaluate the current concerns raised by our community and help us learn more about the problem. We aim to identify which actions the school can take and where the community can help in addressing online bullying, intolerance and uncivil behavior.” 

Call for accountability 

Bahr said ultimately only social media companies can remove posts or ban accounts.

“We have seen response times vary, and in most cases the companies have not taken any action at all,” Bahr said. “It is deeply frustrating as an educator and as a parent to know that these companies do not prioritize moderating these accounts, nor do they offer reasonable help for school districts to prevent online bullying.

Last year, the school board joined other Washington school districts in a class-action lawsuit against social media companies. The suit demands more safeguards for children and support in combating the growing mental health crisis linked to the use of their platforms.  

“However, we recognize any outcomes from this legal action will be a long time coming, and our children cannot wait,” Bahr said. 

Parents’ call to action 

Bahr asked parents and guardians to stay informed and actively monitor their child’s online activity.  

“We recognize the limitations of what we can directly control in the digital world. We also recognize that experiences in the digital world have major impacts on the real world,” Bahr said. “For many of us, especially our children, these worlds are deeply interconnected. This is where we ask for your help.” 

Bahr urged parents to have conversations with their children about responsible and respectful social media use. She offered resources and information on digital wellness on the district’s website.