This article is by Domenic Poli of the Brattleboro Reformer, in which a longer version was first published on Feb. 24, 2014.
BELLOWS FALLS — Certain schools throughout the country are bringing the fight against bullying into the 21 century.
By collaborating with Blackboard Connect’s TIPTxt service, schools can develop the capability to accept text messages as a way of providing students and parents with another way to easily report harassment and share their concerns. Bellows Falls Middle School took this leap last month.
BFMS Principal Heidi Lucas-Moccia told the Reformer she is in charge of “manning the boards” at the school.
“We are very excited to roll out this new TIPTxt program,” she said in a statement in January. “BFMS works very hard to educate students around the issues of bullying while trying to take a proactive approach. We are hoping students will take advantage of the program and are in hopes that our efforts pay off.”
Lucas-Moccia, in her third year as BFMS principal, said the more tech-savvy students of today can easily adapt to this digital service.
“Communication amongst adolescents is constantly evolving — many of them feel more comfortable using their digital devices instead of having a face-to-face conversation; with this TIPTxt program, we hope that students who are concerned about approaching a school administrator with a report, can instead use their phones to inform us about an incident,” she said. “By integrating technology into our schoolwide continuum of behavior, we are expanding our outreach and efficacy.”
But BFMS administrators will not rely solely on the texting service to deal with bullying — it will merely provide one more avenue for children who worry about approaching an adult with their concerns. TIPTxt will add to the school’s bullying prevention programs, which include bully reporting boxes, school counselors dedicated to working with the student population on bullying prevention and a student-led group called “No Bystanders,” which creates different activities that help students stand up to bullies.
Lucas-Moccia said the program costs roughly $150 a year and should be well worth it.
