While doing my daily reading on the subject of bullying, I came across an article that briefly discussed a school district’s efforts in Ohio to comply with a new law. The article can be found HERE. Below is a small excerpt from that article, emphasis added by me.
The Jessica Logan Act, named for a teenager who committed suicide after incidents of cyber-bullying, requires that school districts provide a system for anonymously reporting bullying, harassment and intimidation issues.
I think that this is a vital tool for victims of bullying and I wish that more school systems would put something like this in place. As far as I am aware, there was no such system in Council Bluffs. While technology today makes it easier for bullies to do their harassment, it also makes it easier for people to do something about it. And, unlike the district in the article, it doesn’t have to cost the school anything.
When I could not find a way for students to report their incidents, anonymously if they chose to, I created one using tools readily available online, for free.
This simple form allows victims of bullying to report their incident, anonymously if they choose. They can describe the harassment, give a location, choose from the local schools and more. When someone fills out the form, I am sent an alert that the form has been changed. I then send the information to the appropriate officials.
Yes this system requires some legwork and no, it is not perfect. But, it is a start. It is a step in the right direction. As the old saying goes, you can’t fix it if you don’t know what is broken. If schools are unaware of issues, they can not address them. It is my hope that this tool will help illuminate any bullying issues in Council Bluffs.
Now, I need your help. I need your help getting the word out about this tool, this blog and the website. For any of this to be of any benefit, people need to know that this exists. If you can, please pass these sites on. Become part of the community working to put an end to bullying.
Your voice truly does make a difference.
What I would love to see is that every school system put into place a way that victims of bullying could report incidents of bullying. As I have done, the schools could do this at no cost to them. Until then, you can find the Bullying Report Form on the Stop Bullying Now! Council Bluffs website.
Stop Bullying Now! Council Bluffs 