Libertyville School Uses Online Form To ID Bullies

LIBERTYVILLE, IL - As the upcoming school year gets underway, many will be excited to get back to seeing good friends. But, for those who are bullied, school can become a terrifying place. In an effort to address bullying throughout its halls and beyond, Highland Middle School in Libertyville has created an online form that can be filled out anonymously.

"Bullying is any act of intentional aggressive behavior. It can take the form of physical or verbal harassment and involves an imbalance of power. Bullying can cause a victim to feel upset, afraid, ashamed, embarrassed, and anxious about going to school. At Highland, it is our goal to promote a caring community through building strong moral and ethical character," according to the online form on Highland's website. "This is a form for parents and students to anonymously report bullying incidents that occurred at school, at a school-sponsored activity, on a school bus, on the way to and/or from school, or through the use of modern communication technologies. Bullying behavior is frequently repeated unless there is intervention."

The form asks for the bully's name and grade, the victim's name and grade and where and when the bullying is occurring. The report also requests the person to report the bullying situation and name any other possible witnesses.

The form can be found on District 70's website.

One parent, in addressing the form, wrote on District 70's website that some kids use the forms to threaten other kids.

" Just another way to bully other children," the parent wrote.

District 70 responded to the comment on its Facebook page:

Although it is rare, students can make false claims using this outlet. Each and every report though is thoroughly documented, investigated, and addressed by the administration. The pros of the online form far outweigh the cons in terms of serving our student population and the online form continues to be a valuable resource for our school.