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“God willing they’re going to learn from it,” is the reaction of St Bede’s College, rector, Justin Boyle to four year 10 boys who have been stood down for cyber-bullying.
Boyle said cyber-bullying is even more insidious because the younger generation is on the whole far more adept in their use of technology than parents or St Bede’s college staff.
Imploring parents to keep an eye on how their sons are using technology, Boyle said parents are welcome to contact the St Bede’s guidance counsellor if they had a concern they cannot address.
Boyle promised to keep parents informed of a programme to address the issue proactively.
The programme is being designed by the College guidance counsellor and some senior students.
The incident involved a 14 year old student being held over a bin by three pupils, while a fourth took a photo and uploaded it to Facebook.
Boyle said the victim was not physically injured and is coping well.
The incident happened in the last week of last term and came to light only through an anonymous “survey” the school periodically ran to give students the opportunity to report inappropriate behaviour.
In St Bede’s latest newsletter, Boyle said the school was working hard to tackle the problem, and he has told parents that if the school community chooses to ignore cyber-bullying it does so at its own peril, reports Stuff.
“I’d implore parents to keep an eye on how your son is using technology and if you have concerns you feel you cannot address, contact the college,” he wrote.
NetSafe, an independent organisation promoting cybersafety, reported in 2007 that one in five New Zealand high school students have been cyber-bullied.
“Everyone has the power to do this in their hands yet most are choosing to exercise this power responsibly,” Martin Cocker executive director of NetSafe said.
The St Bede’s incident comes amid a push for a law change to address cyber-bullying. Under government proposals, aimed at protecting victims of online bullying, cyber-bullies could be jailed for up to three years.
Boyle said the cyber-bullies’ behaviour “hasn’t come to my attention before this, that’s why they were given a second chance.”
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