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Schools

Group wants online bullies subdued

By EDDY RAMIREZ
Published February 28, 2007

Cyberspace bullies beware: Schools could soon start cracking down on anyone who uses cell phones or school computers to intimidate classmates.

A committee is asking the School Board to take a tougher stance against online bullying and declare the behavior unacceptable in the student code of conduct.

The recommendation came Tuesday during a meeting that was attended by three families who complained about bullying in Citrus schools.

Theresa Griffin of Beverly Hills came with her 14-year-old daughter, Allison, who said she was bullied at the elementary and middle school levels. She said most teachers and administrators simply turned a blind eye to the threats and harassment she received from her classmates.

"Math was my favorite subject but now I hate it because that's where the most torture was," the girl said. She said she often felt like she was drowning in a sea of bullies, which she likened to "seaweeds pulling you under."

Two other mothers who staged a protest outside the school district offices last week were also at the meeting to renew their pleas for more accountability and stricter enforcement of antiharassment rules at schools.

Tracy Seavers and Christina English said their children were assaulted by school bullies and that school officials failed to take action. Now their children are homeschooled.

The mothers expected other families to join them at the board meeting, but said the others were too scared to come forward after hearing that a principal barred Mrs. English from her son's former elementary school.

Mrs. English said that bullies beat up her son on the soccer field when her back was turned to him. She said 50 to 100 other parents have complained to her, saying that their children were also bullied at school, since she and Seavers started collecting testimonials earlier this year.

School officials could not comment on the specific allegations of bullying because of confidentiality rules. But they said that teachers and administrators are instructed to give serious weight to bullying complaints.

Superintendent Sandra "Sam" Himmel said she was comfortable with the process that schools have in place to address bullying. She said principals spend more time monitoring social networking Web sites such as MySpace and Facebook to guard against such behavior.

The proposed policy to discourage online bullying will come up for a vote later in the year. Students who use cell phones and school computers to make threats to other students would face suspension, up to expulsion.

In other news:

-The School Board must pay $1.5-million more in health insurance claims than originally anticipated.

"How could we be so off?" asked board member Pat Deutschman upon hearing that staff had "significantly" underestimated the amount in claims that must be paid.

Sam Hurst, the district's executive director of business services, said that the cost overrun was a result of the district switching from a self-insurance coverage program to Blue Cross insurance in October.

The company's staff had originally predicted that the district could expect to pay an additional $800,000 in insurance claims, Hurst said.

In an effort to correct the discrepancy, Hurst has recommended that the board approve the transfer of $1.2-million from a $65-million fund that pays for building projects. He called the problem "manageable."

"It's not going to adversely affect your capital outlay projects," Hurst said.

Board Chairman Bill Murray said: "I hope our employees appreciate this." He was referring to the district's efforts to keep health insurance contributions from employees low.

The news came on one of Hurst's last days on the job. Hurst is retiring after 36 years working for public schools, mostly in the finance arena. Himmel thanked Hurst for his service to the school system, paying him a big compliment by saying: "He is the only man that could say no to me without a fight."

Hurst, 57, said he will stay in Citrus and possibly do some consulting work. He joked that he is waiting for his boat to get out of the repair shop so he can go fishing.

-The board agreed to implement the STAR teacher bonus plan despite most teachers voting against it.

Board members said they had no choice but to approve the plan because otherwise the district would lose millions of dollars from the state.

Fast Facts:

In other news

- The board will pay $1.5-million more in insurance claims than anticipated. - The board agreed to implement the STAR teacher bonus plan.

[Last modified February 28, 2007, 06:17:32]