Tweet Love shirt order forms available in the main office. ($10)
In this day and age, almost every student walking the halls has a smartphone in their hand and a computer in their backpack. According to the Pew Research Center, 92% of teens report using social media every day. 24% of these students even went as far to say that they checked their phones “almost constantly”. While this technology is important for accessing information and completing school work, it can also be a danger to students.
Many high school students choose to partake in social media such as Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat, as well as other platforms where communication with others is frequent and public. Often these applications are simply used to share jokes, stories, or photographs. However, it also gives people the capability to share hurtful words, threats, or other negative content across these cites.
This is a problem the country, and specifically high schools, have been dealing with since the explosion of online social networking. To combat this, schools and governments are taking precautions to punish cyberbullies and protect victims.
In the state of Nebraska, According to the Nebraska Department of Education’s page for bullying prevention, all schools that receive government funding (public schools) are required to have a policy for and address bullying of any type.
Hastings High takes a direct approach to handling bullying on school grounds, school vehicles, or while attending a sponsored school event.
“If, after an investigation, a student is found to be in violation of this policy, the student shall be disciplined by appropriate measures up to, and including suspension and expulsion,” the HHS handbook says in regards to bullying.
“Harassment and bullying mean electronic, written, verbal, or physical action of conduct toward a student which is based on any actual or perceived trait or characteristic of the student in which creates an objectively hostile school environment,” the handbook goes on to state.
The Nebraska State Board of Education’s anti-bullying policy states, “The State Board defines positive behaviors as those which promote respect, cooperation, empathy, tolerance, courtesy, self-regulation, non-violence, and relationship building, toward all students and staff in the learning and teaching environment.”
As students, staff, and parents of the Hastings Senior High School community, we should strive to spread the positive characteristics listed in the statement above. The Tiger Cub Online has decided to promote internet positivity by selling shirts that say “Tweet Love”. These shirts are a great reminder to be careful what you put online because being cruel or hurtful towards others is bullying even if it is through the internet.
