In the News 2009-2010

Parents, public safety officials and concerned citizens turned out Thursday along with Boston television reporters and cameramen for the cyberbullying workshop given by Dr. Elizabeth Englander at the Essex District Attorney's office in Salem. Item photo / Owen O'Rourke

Cyberbullying Problem Soars in Area Schools

By David Liscio / The Daily Item, Thursday, February 25, 2010

LYNN - Millions of schoolchildren across the country admit feeling anxious when not in contact with friends by cell phone or computer. Members of a generation dubbed "digital natives," their online interactions represent a significant portion of their existence, a place as real as any classroom or city street.

"The emotional ties children have to online life today are profound, but adults behave as though it doesn't exist," said Dr. Elizabeth Englander, an expert in cyberbullying and director of the Massachusetts Aggression Reduction Center at Bridgewater State College. "It's easy for us to underestimate its impact."

Englander was a guest speaker Thursday at a cyberbullying workshop at the Essex District Attorney's Office. "We're seeing a dramatic increase in bullying behavior," she said. "And we're seeing a decline in social coping skills, which contributes to the problem."

According to Englander, "Children today see being a little bit mean as being socially successful. Often the most popular kids in school are the ones doing the most bullying."

Studies have shown that cyberbullying is more prevalent among girls than boys. Boys tend to play online games that offer structure and rules, so that when another player "kills" them it's usually brushed off as a joke perpetrated by a friend," Englander said.

Girls typically use the Internet for its social networking capabilities, as a means to gossip and spread rumors about former friends, with revenge as the motive, she said, adding, "Girls perpetuate cyberbullying at a higher rate."

The incidents of cyberbullying have doubled in Massachusetts since 2006, yet many parents remain unaware of whether their children are victims. "In order for this to happen, adults must be ignorant, indifferent or absent. Academic success has a lot to do with social and emotional health," Englander said. "What their children are doing online has to count, just like any other place in the world."

Englander has encouraged parents to open free accounts on social networking sites like FaceBook to both glimpse at what their children are doing and be able to report immediately should anyone attempt to open an account using their name.

Cyberbullying occurs on popular mainstream social networking sites like FaceBook, which has more than 350 million members, but more often on user-generated sites such as YouTube that have less content monitoring, she said.

"Kids think they're anonymous online, but nothing is truly private," said Englander, deriding FaceBook for its assurances of privacy. "On FaceBook, your 'wall' is marketed as private and kids have fallen for it."

Anyone designated as a 'friend' on FaceBook can view the member's profile and other information. If that "friend" takes a screen shot of the profile, it can be e-mailed to anyone as a photo file. Some children on FaceBook brag of having hundreds of friends and that only increases the chance that private information will spread.

Englander also warned about the use of free, third-party applications, usually games, offered through FaceBook. In order to activate these games, users are required to input private information and click the electronic contract form. Many do so, not realizing the contract allows the third-party application owners to collect and use their private information.

Englander asked rhetorically whether these third-party companies are gathering massive amounts of information with intentions of later mining the data and selling it?

She also called attention to a third-party application called Friend Facts, which generates poll questions from FaceBook friends about other online friends. Users must answer the questions to earn virtual silver points that can be spent to learn who is saying what about them on the application.

"Teens can't opt out of this kind of application because they need to know what is being said about them," Englander said.

Englander also took issue with FaceBook because once created; an account cannot be deleted, merely deactivated. "The information stays there," she said. "It's archived."

She urged teachers to make children aware that less is more and not to post private information without thinking first about the possible ramifications. She offered the example of a teenage girl telling hundreds of Facebook friends about an upcoming family trip to the Caribbean when nobody will be at home on these specific dates and the dog will be in a kennel.

There's a chance that the family's plasma TV will be missing when they get back home, Englander said.

"Forty percent of the kids surveyed said they had done something online to jeopardize their future," she said, emphasizing again that less is more. Girls have posted nude or semi-nude images of themselves online, only to have friends victimize them by e-mailing the photographs to a wider audience.

Educators and law enforcement officers must be prepared when cases of cyberbullying arise. "Cyberbullying is an extremely emotional issue. You must never say there's nothing I can do about that. That's why you want to learn what you can do," Englander said.

Essex District Attorney Jonathan Blodgett said online threats are not a joke taken lightly under the law. "Ten years ago, people might have thought this was a rite of passage, but it's not anymore," he said, noting that the U.S. Secret Service came to a startling conclusion after interviewing students who had tried to harm classmates or destroy their school buildings.

Albeit the infamous shooting at Columbine High or similar incidents in Mississippi and Alaska, one common denominator emerged among the shooters or bombers who survived. "All of them said they had been bullied," Blodgett said.

Honestly, this is like dealing with first-grade recess ... Come on, now, children ... let's play nice.

Really. It's sunk down to this level. Ever since the beginning of the school year, we've seen a plethora of games where either the postgame handshake has been eliminated altogether, or there have been unfortunate incidents stemming from this oh-so-obvious attempt by the MIAA to reinforce the notion that sportsmanship trumps all.

It has to stop. And stop now. Otherwise, there might as well not even be a postgame handshake -- which, come to think of it, might not be such a bad idea if it's going to serve as an opportunity for kids to take cheap shots or adults to transfer their frustrations onto the rest of us.

I don't advocate eliminating this simple exercise. But I am in favor of making penalties for those who violate it so severe that it might deter one or two hotheads from ruining everything.

What happened with the St. Mary's hockey team after the handshake fracas is a good start. Five of the players deemed most responsible for escalating the incident were ejected -- and suspended -- and the Spartans had to forfeit their next game. In addition, there's a very good chance they won't be taking part in the MIAA tournament even if their record qualifies them.

The English-Winthrop situation is a little more difficult to assess because players didn't start this. It was basically a free-for-all, and sometimes it's tough to get to the root of what causes those melees. It all depends on what you saw, when you saw it, who you talked to, and what side they were on. They disintegrate into "he said/she said" situations.

But clearly something needs to be done ... and this is one of those times where the brush has to be pretty broad. You simply cannot have this.

If any of the coaches or assistants on either team are judged to have been a catalyst to spark this melee, then they should be either suspended or simply fired outright. There are, of course, degrees of culpability in these things, but generally, I'd say, coaches have no business instigating postgame melees.

And if one does happen to break out, the only thing a coach (or athletic director, or principal, or any other responsible adult) should be doing is trying to get their own people under control so that an entire army of police don't have to be called to the gym (like they have nothing better to do, either).

That doesn't mean mouthing off to their counterparts from the other school. At a point like that, they should be working in concert with each other to put a lid on what has the potential to be a very serious situation.

The most responsible guy in the entire English gym Tuesday night was coach Buzzy Barton, who set records for getting his players out of the gym and downstairs to the locker room. It would have been nice had a few other adults exercised the same judgment.

The problem I have with doing to English and Winthrop what was done with St. Mary's and Arlington Catholic is that kids didn't cause this. Adults did. It was a tough, tense, hard-fought, physical game and tempers certainly flared during it (and anyone who seriously thinks that's not going to happen doesn't understand competitive sports). But as far as they were concerned, when it was over, it was over.

It's just too bad the adults -- and please understand I use the term loosely in this situation -- couldn't have acted the same way.

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Yeoman Seaman Somnang Danh has won the Navy Blue Jacket Sailor of the Year Award, Hawaii Region. He is a Lynn Classical HS 2007 graduate. This award is for Navy personnel who have made outstanding contributions, above and beyond their station, to their ship and the US Navy. Somnang is stationed on the USS O'KANE, a newer class of Navy Destroyer. The ship is over 500' long and carries more than 300 officers and crew. It's home port is Pearl Harbor in Hawaii. Somnang enjoys living in Hawaii but likes to keep in touch with his friends in Lynn.

Note: the Classical Webmaster feels this story should be published on our website, despite the fact that Jarell Byrd transferred to English HS for his Senior year. Jarell was an exciting and integral player at Classical for the past few years. We wish him well in the future.

History was recorded in last night's 73-56 win by English over Danvers at the Cavanagh Gym. Jarell Byrd became just the fifth player who donned the maroon, gray, and white to surpass the 1,000 career-point barrier, joining Craig High, Dierdre Jackson, Anthony Anderson, and Jeannette Anderson.

Interestingly, he becomes the fourth member of his own family to tally 1,000 points in a high school career. Both his father, Jeff, and uncle,Lou, did it while playing for Lynn Tech, while cousin Michelle Smith reached the plateau while at Classical. Byrd, a senior, played his first three seasons for the Rams.

The youngest Byrd, who entered the contest needing just 14 points to hit the plateau, reached the 1,000 mark with 4:18 left to go in regulation. He took a feed from teammate Irving Vizcaino and dunked the ball with authority. The game was stopped and Byrd was presented a plaque to commemorate the occasion.

"It means a lot to to me, as it's a high accomplishment," Byrd said about the accomplishment. "I wouldn't have been able to do it without my teammates."

Byrd, who finished with 17 points, had five points in the opening quarter, and nine at the half, but only added two in the third period to give him 11 entering the fourth. He crept to within one on another dunk in the early minutes of the quarter (on a feed from Vizcaino), but didn't pass up several opportunities to set up his teammates.

"That's the kind of player he is, very unselfish," said English coach Buzzy Barton about Byrd. "He knew he needed the 14 (points), and he got them early."

Byrd, who had 17 points in the Bulldogs' championship win in the Boverini Tourney, wasn't concerned about hitting the milestone last night.

"It was just another game. I knew I would get the points before the end of the season," he said.

The Bulldogs (7-0), who hadn't played since December 29, got off to a rusty start, as English battled a tough Falcons' club. English was sloppy in the second period, missing plenty of shots and throwing the ball away. "We were sloppy, and it did take us a while to get going," said Barton. "Danvers played us very tough."

The game was tied at 35 midway through the third quarter before guard Ryan Woumn, who led all scorers with 25 and who is now just 35 points away from the 1,000 mark as well, took over. He netted a pair of short jumpers which bookended a dunk by Byrd to open a 41-35 Bulldogs edge.

The Falcons (2-4) closed the gap to 41-39 on baskets by Mike Warren (17) and Brad LeBlanc (4), but a 9-2 Bulldog run gave the team a 50-41 lead after the period.

Danvers got to within 56-49 midway through the final quarter on buckets by Warren and Dan Skinner, but English closed the game on a 17-7 run. Woumn had six of those points, while teammate Travonne Berry-Rogers chipped in with four (he had 12 overall) during that span.

LYNN - A 16-year-old Fecteau-Leary Junior-Senior High student is the second charged under a city ordinance banning weapons in school.

School Attendance and Discipline Specialist Rick Iarrobino said information obtained by Fecteau-Leary's Principal Maura Durgin-Scully prompted an inspection of the student's locker where officials discovered a knife shortly after noon on Monday.

The Lynn boy pleaded not delinquent to the ordinance violation Tuesday in Juvenile Court. Iarrobino said Durgin-Scully will schedule a disciplinary hearing on the charge sometime this week.

A 13-year-old Breed Middle School student who brought an unloaded paintball gun to school was arrested and suspended under the ordinance on Nov. 4. The boy did not threaten anyone with the paintball gun. Iarrobino said he was suspended for 10 days and has since returned to school.

The weapons ban became official on Oct. 13. It bans anyone except law enforcement officials from bringing "any weapon or instrument so fashioned to be a weapon or any article or instrument to potentially cause harm" from being brought into a school or onto school property.

The City Council approved the weapons prohibition ordinance in August after police detailed 57 police responses over the last three years to disturbances in local public schools. They also told councilors officers were called 30 times to weapons-related incidents in schools. Those calls resulted in six arrests.

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LYNN - Students attending Lynn public schools will be expected to follow the dress code that was implemented by the School Committee in 2006.

These guidelines were put in place to prevent any distractions or disruptions from entering the classroom in regards to both safety and aesthetics.

"It's within the discretion of the principal, if something is determined to be a distraction or disruptive it could be deemed a violation of the dress code," said Tom Iarrobino, the secretary of the school committee.

The School Committee and school staff use decency, neatness, cleanliness and suitability for school as guidelines when determining what is or is not appropriate school attire. Disruptive clothing can include any article of clothing that showcases obscenities, fighting words, incitement or defamation written on it.

Clothing that the principal considers to be gang related or in gang-related colors or any item that could potentially cause harm or put a fellow student in danger, such as studs or chains on gloves, clothing, or shoes and footwear that contain metal cleats, taps, or wheels are not permissible.

As with any set of rules or guidelines that require an individual to use their best judgment, there have been some complaints placed by parents and students alike about the dress code since it was put in place.

"There may be some disagreements about interpretations of what is appropriate and sometimes it includes parents. It is important to be consistent about what is appropriate," Iarrobino said. "The staff is pretty accommodating to styles and cultures while making sure that a line isn't crossed in regards to the policy."

Explicitly forbidden clothing, listed in the Student Appearance section of the Student Discipline Code on the Lynn Public Schools Web site, include hats, bandannas, headbands, scarves, gloves, wristbands, doo-rags, skullcaps, hoods and wave caps.

Also prohibited are tank tops, halter tops and halter dresses, shoulder-less tops, tube tops or any top that bares the midriff, see-through, spandex or skin-tight clothes regardless of length and any shirt that advertises tobacco, alcoholic beverages, or advocates drug use or has obscene printing, violence of any kind or printing the principal may consider to be inappropriate.

Non-prescribed dark glasses are not allowed in schools without a doctor's note, which is to be filed with the school nurse or principal. Use of all electronic devices, including but not limited to, cell phones and iPods, are not allowed to be used on school property during school hours and must remain off and out of sight.

LYNN - Classical High School students are all under one roof again and hall monitors are back in schools Wednesday as educators look to a smooth start for the 2009-10 academic year.

“The Classical work has been completed and freshmen are back in the building,” said School Superintendent Catherine Latham.

Major structural reconstruction in the O’Callaghan Way school forced the relocation of freshmen to Fecteau-Leary School on North Common Street. With the work completed, Classical starts a new year with new Principal Gene Constantino at the helm.

“The building looks wonderful,” Latham said.

School starting times are the same as last year but Latham urged parents of students attending Fecteau-Leary to double check start times.

Latham and principals kept an eye in August on last-minute enrollment numbers. In past years one or two schools saw an influx of new students.

This year new enrollments are spread across the public school system with English High seeing a particularly large enrollment spike: Over 1,700 students are expected to start school there.

Despite shifting enrollments and other concerns, Mayor Edward J. Clancy Jr. said only six out of 316 public school classrooms will have as many as 30 students to a class. City and school budget makers overcame financial problems to restore hall monitors to schools.

Local schools launch a new year even as public education across the state earns high marks with recent results on the state’s comprehensive assessment tests.

Massachusetts students scored higher on the MCAS exam in most grades and across all subgroups, improving on several years of flat or lower test scores in elementary and middle schools, state officials announced last week.

Four-fifths of 10th graders scored “proficient” on the English/Language Arts test, and three-fourths earned proficient marks on the math test.

Ninety percent of this year’s high school seniors have posted MCAS scores sufficient to allow them to graduate. But achievements gaps for minorities and low-income students still persist: only about half of seniors with limited English proficiency, two thirds of seniors with disabilities and about three-quarters of Hispanic or Latino students are among those on track to graduate.

State officials highlighted the performance of students now entering their junior year, telling reporters at a press conference that their across-the-board improvements indicate “significant and persistent progress.”

The 10th-graders made gains in math and science, and gains were recorded among African American, Asian, Hispanic/Latino and white students, along with students with disabilities, limited-English students and low-income students.

But fewer than half of students in seventh and eighth grades earned proficient grades on the MCAS math test, which state officials highlighted as “an area of concern.”

The MCAS results buoyed state education leaders, who expressed confidence that even when federal stimulus funds for education dry up, educators were poised to continue fostering strong results. State officials frontloaded $412 million of federal education aid, originally intended for use next fiscal year, to help balance the fiscal 2009 budget.

The move ensures that a so-called funding cliff n when federal aid runs out — will materialize quicker.

The announcement, the earliest-ever release of statewide results for a test that’s been administered annually since 1998, comes as the Patrick administration prepares to vouch for bills to enable the state to more proactively intervene in underperforming school districts and to lift the cap on charter schools around the state.

District and school results are still being compiled and will be released publicly later in September.

DIFFERENCES BETWEEN COLD, SEASONAL FLU & H1N1 SYMPTOMS

SYMPTOM	COLD	SEASONAL FLU	H1N1
FEVER	Fever is rare with a cold.	Fever is common with the seasonal flu.	Fever is usually present with H1N1 in up to 80% of all flu cases. A temperature of 101°
COUGHING	A hacking, productive (mucus-producing) cough is often present with a cold.	A dry and hacking cough is often present with the seasonal flu.	A non-productive (non-mucus producing) cough is usually present with H1N1 (sometimes referred to as dry cough).*
ACHES	Slight body aches and pains can be part of a cold.	Moderate body aches are common with the seasonal flu.	Severe aches and pains are common with H1N1.*
STUFFY NOSE	Stuffy nose is commonly present with a cold and typically resolves spontaneously within a week.	A runny nose is commonly present with the seasonal flu.	Stuffy nose is not commonly present with H1N1.
CHILLS	Chills are uncommon with a cold.	Chills are mild to moderate with the seasonal flu.	60% of people who have H1N1 experience chills.
TIREDNESS	Tiredness is fairly mild with a cold.	Tiredness is moderate and more likely referred to as a lack of energy with the seasonal flu.	Tiredness is moderate to severe with H1N1.*
SNEEZING	Sneezing is commonly present with a cold	Sneezing is common present with the seasonal flu.	Sneezing is not common with H1N1.
SUDDEN SYMPTOMS	Cold symptoms tend to develop over a few days.	Symptoms tend to develop over a few days and include flushed face, loss of appetite, dizziness and/or vomiting/nausea. Symptoms usually last 4-7 days, depending on the individual. Diarrhea is common.	H1N1 has a rapid onset within 3-6 hours. H1N1 hits hard and includes sudden symptoms like high fever, aches and pains. Symptoms usually last 4-7 days, depending on the individual. Diarrhea is common.
HEADACHE	A headache is fairly uncommon with a cold.	A headache is fairly common with the seasonal flu.	A headache is very common with H1N1 and present in 80% of cases.*
SORE THROAT	Sore throat is commonly present with a cold.	Sore throat is commonly present with the seasonal flu.	Sore throat is not commonly present with H1N1.
CHEST DISCOMFORT	Chest discomfort is mild to moderate with a cold.	Chest discomfort is moderate with the seasonal flu. *If it turns severe seek medical attention immediately!*	Chest discomfort is often severe with H1N1.

PREVENTION TIPS:
ücough & sneeze into your elbow
üwash hands with soap and warm water for a minimum of 15 -20 seconds. Sing your abc's or happy birthday to you
üuse hand sanitizer when soap & water are not available
üavoid touching eyes, nose or mouth without washing or using hand sanitizer first