SEQUIM — Bullying has taken on a whole new dimension in the digital world, and Sequim Middle School leaders and parents, as well as the Sequim Police Department, want people to know the signs.
It has gone from schoolyard abuse to Web-texting torment.
“With all the cell phones and texting, it allows kids 24-hour contact with other kids,” said Sequim School Resource Officer Anthony Graham.
“So we need to get the parents involved,” he added, “. . . to educate parents to how to recognize the signs of bullying or if a student is acting like a bully.”
Graham and Mac McIntyre, a counselor with Peninsula Mental Health, will talk about bullying and cyber-bullying at a 6 p.m. Wednesday meeting of the Sequim Middle School Parent Teacher Student Association in the Sequim Middle School cafeteria, 301 W. Hendrickson Road.
Graham, who has been with the Sequim Police Department since 2006, said when bullying occurs in the Sequim School District, the police typically work with students and parents to reach a resolution.
Often, issues can be mediated outside of juvenile court.
“The reality is, bullying exists in every school,” Graham said, adding that state laws emphasize creating a safe place for students to learn.
Threats are not much different than they were in past school history.
“Bullies are still threatening to beat up students after school or are name-calling,” Graham said.
“When we look at juveniles, we’re not looking at hardened criminals,” he added. “These are kids.”
The difference today is that it can happen all the time.
Cyber-bullying can happen outside of school, at home or when a student is on vacation, Sequim Middle School Principal Brian Jones said.
He said there are ways of blocking it electronically, or parents can monitor their child’s own Internet use.
Jones said that while he does not view it as a serious problem, bullying does exist at Sequim Middle School.
“Bullying does occur, and we do address it when parents tell us about it,” Jones said. “Parents need to tell us about it. Otherwise, it’s pretty hard to address.”
The school allows no electronics or cell phones on campus. Cell phones found on students are confiscated.
Students may use iPods to listen to music during school lunch.
“When I came here six years ago, almost no students had cell phones, and now almost all students have cell phones,” Jones said.
Today, he said, “Kids can text in their pocket without any problem” and out of the view of parents and teachers.
Susan Lorenzen, middle school PTSA president and a Sequim City Council member with a seventh-grade son attending the middle school, said the meeting is intended as a service to parents.
“It’s just to let parents know what kinds of things they can do,” Lorenzen said.
“What kinds of things they can look for, and maybe start up a dialogue with their children about the issues so they can be nipped in the bud.
“I’ve not had any experience with that issue, so I’m looking forward to what the experts have to say.”
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Sequim-Dungeness Valley Editor Jeff Chew can be reached at 360-681-2391 or at jeff.chew@peninsuladailynews.com.