From:	Hill, Jon (MS)
Sent:	Wednesday, October 23, 2013 1:56 PM
To:	Engstrom, John (HOS)
Subject:	Cyberbullying Scenario (writing prompt response)

Dear Mr. and Mrs. Kim-

Thank you for your call earlier today concerning the cyberbullying messages that Irene has been 
receiving from an unknown source.  I fully appreciate your concerns and I want you to know that 
addressing this issue is a top priority for our MS Office Team.  Since your call, I have spoken to Mr. 
Swanson, our counselor, and Ms. Grey, our assistant principal.  They have been working on various 
aspects of the problem and I can bring you up to date on their findings, as well as our recommendations 
for moving forward.

Please understand that we take every incident of cyberbullying very seriously.  We address this issue in 
Advisory classes and in grade level assemblies every year, so that students understand our expectations 
with regard to their online activities.  Even though these cyberbullying instances happen outside of 
school hours, the effects on students involved always affect their well-being and ability to learn here at 
school.  We encourage students to report all instances of cyberbullying, whether they are the victim or 
an observer.  We also encourage students to do screen captures and to provide them to us as evidence 
of the bullying taking place.  Many times, that is all we need to identify the bully and to take disciplinary 
steps to end the bullying and restore relationships that have been harmed.  However, in this case, the 
bullying is coming from an anonymous account.  The online messaging service company has been 
unwilling to provide us with details regarding the identity of the user, and often these accounts are 
created using false information anyway.  It is also possible in a few cases to identify accounts by their IP 
addresses, but most users have dynamic IPs that change and make identification very difficult.  In short, 
until we get more evidence (more screenshots with identifying characteristics, or more students who 
come forward with new information) we are unable to determine the source of the messages.  We do 
not even know for sure that they are coming from one of our current students.

Here is what we know:
-Six students have reported getting messages from an anonymous bully using the ask.fm messaging 
service based in Hungary.
-The messages are similar enough that we think there is only one bully.
-The messages are insulting, but not vulgar.
-We have several screenshots, but none have provided clues to the identity of the bully.

Here is the plan we have already put in place to address the issue as best we can.
-Mr. Swanson and Ms. Grey are available to provide counseling and support to any student who needs 
to discuss the issue.  We are working with your daughter and other students to help them understand 
the nature of bullying and ways that victims can find resiliency and hope, even when being criticized.  
-We are asking the victims to not engage the bully in any kind of dialogue.  Too often, a victim will try to 
get back at a bully, and then the situation is clouded by shared blame for an inappropriate 
conversation.  Often, a bully will just stop messaging if the victim does not respond.
-We are also encouraging students to block the messages of the anonymous bully, to change their own 
account information, or to stop using the messaging services that are being used by the bully.  
-We are encouraging any students and parents who may have knowledge of the situation to share that 
with us.  This has not been broadcast generally to our whole community at this time, but we have 
notified all parents whose children have received messages to share what they know.
-We are asking students to only discuss the matter with our office team and their parents.  We are trying 
to minimized the distracting “buzz” of rumors among our students.

Our priorities for our students are safety and learning.  We try to balance the two.  While a stronger 
investigation into this matter might seem like a great idea in terms of ensuring emotional safety, it will 
also become a distraction for a larger portion of our students and teachers.  That would detract from the 
important learning taking place in our school.

I know this is a frustrating situation for you.  We share that frustration and are following a course that 
we feel is in the best interest of everyone.  Please keep us appraised of any new information you receive 
and, above all, keep an open dialogue going with your daughter, Irene.  We can model an appropriate 
response for her that will help her get through this experience knowing that, in spite of what one bully 
out there thinks, she is surrounded by friends parents, and teachers who love and appreciate her.

I would be happy to continue this conversation by email, on the phone, or in person.

Jon Hill
SFMS Principal