Principal: 'Vile' cyberbullies worse than Iraq insurgents
The Associated Press
WINCHENDON, Mass. (AP) - A Massachusetts high school principal said cyberbullies who targeted some of his students are worse than the insurgents he fought in Iraq and vowed the anonymous posters would be found and punished.
Joshua Romano, principal of Murdock Middle/High School in Winchendon and an Iraq War veteran, logged on to the school's Twitter account to warn perpetrators who attacked some students' sexuality and appearance.
In one response to the anonymous Twitter accounts, he wrote: "This is Mr. Romano. I find the content of this site to be largely vile and ignorant."
In another he said, "These tweets better disappear immediately and the WPD (Winchendon Police Department) and I will be dealing with individuals who posted here on Monday."
He also sent an email to the school's roughly 700 students calling the cyberbullies "pathetic cowards."
"I have more respect for insurgents I fought in Iraq than I do for people behind this Twitter account," he said in another email. "At least Iraqis had the courage to face their targets and not hide behind a Twitter account."
He later backed off that comment, telling WFXT-TV that "I poorly worded my comments about Iraqi insurgents."
The offensive Twitter accounts have since been deleted.
Romano told The Telegram & Gazette (http://bit.ly/17B3Vv4 ) he took such direct action to convey the message that the conduct is not acceptable.
"I wanted to assure the victims and their parents that we would move quickly and decisively to end this kind of harassment," he said.
He said he heard from one parent who thought his tactics were too harsh but pointed out that the person's child was not a victim of the bullying.
If the perpetrators are caught, they face school discipline. However, they are unlikely to face criminal charges, police Lt. David Walsh said, because so far their actions don't reach the threshold of a criminal harassment charge.
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Information from: Telegram & Gazette (Worcester, Mass.), http://www.telegram.com
Really???? Hey principal, please leave the veterans and the terrorists out of this problem of lack of parental control of kids. I have to ask if you think these same Iraqis who were placing roadside bombs and the Sunnis who were chopping off heads and had to be paid off in US currency to stop were better than kids who have access to these devices and accounts through their parents. I have to ask why schools simply do not ban cell phones from school? Why does a 10 or 12 or 15 year old need a cell phone? They (kids) WANT a cell phone because their friends have one because their parents have been convinced that they (kids) have to have one. But in todays busy world, it is probably too much to ask parents to raise their kids and stop asking or expecting the schools to do this job.
ReplyDeleteDon't read it! Ignore it!
ReplyDeleteThese kids have a new way to bully other kids, and cell phones or not, kids can be brutal. They can ruin lives, and the little darlings can be relentless. I am glad this guy got angry! He should get angry, and so should the parents. Like it or not, he got their attention, and maybe the peer pressure of the kids that are not involved, will put a stop to what has been going on, at least for now. Bev.
DeleteEver since I watched Building Seven come down from what is clearly to me controlled demolition I have had to reassess who the bullies are in this world. Before my father died he said to me "son I think we as a nation have turned into bullies." I am not the type to lead with my mouth so I spent the last six years making sure the information that I have to offer is backed up with what I believe to be facts. Big corporations have always run this country and it is they who I believe have created our current enemy ISIS. If we are going to confront bullies we should not be afraid to confront the biggest bully. The book Another Nineteen Investigating Legitimate 9/11Suspects by Kevin Robert Ryan puts anything Stephen King has written as mere child literature. Here is a quick interview about the real bullies in our lives. Bullies
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