Principal's Poll (10/21 - 10/28) - Anonymous Tiplines
Would anonymous tiplines reduce the incidence of bullying in schools?
(Final results)
57% Yes
43% No
Total Votes: 163
---------------------------------------------
MSNBC recently reported on the availability of a new tipline by which students can anonymously report threats and incidents of bullying in their schools. The Web site at SchoolTipline forwards the anonymous tip to the school and sends a reminder to the school official if the tip has gone unread after a day or so.
Principals in middle and high schools regularly confront issues of bullying in school. So where does an anonymous tipline fit among the arsenal of antibullying resources available to schools? Can they help make a difference? Please take this week's Principal's Poll at www.principals.org and leave your comments on the topic below. (Poll is not closed.)
Comments
As with any tipline, it could be misused. At least this gives all students an avenue to vent their built-up frustration.
Posted by: Roger W. Louden | October 21, 2008 02:26 PM
I checked out http://www.schooltipline.com
I think students would use the internet and text messaging to report concerns. The site also talked about an option for login reporting - It seems to be a good option for schools worried about false reporting.
Posted by: concerned parent | October 22, 2008 09:10 AM
A tip line won't make a significant difference because the teachers and administrators already know who the bullies are. The significant change needs to take place between the students who bully and how staff deals with them.
Posted by: Suzanne Chapin | October 22, 2008 10:25 AM
Anonymous Tiplines add to the already burdensome bureacuracy of public schools. The best prevention of bullying is caring adults building relationships with students so that communication and collaboration allow for reporting of bulling incidents. Anonymonity does not allow for discernment and creates a backlog of investigations.
Posted by: Danny Brackett | October 22, 2008 11:20 AM
I teach in a small rural school that is a bit behind the times. Bullying is, nevertheless, still a huge problem. We have just recently implemented the Olweus Anti-Bullying Program at our school. This program encourages students to notify an adult at school and at home when they see bullying or are bullied. While I definitely agree that bullying is a major problem in education today, both in schools and online in the cyberworld and that these programs are a step in the right direction, I am left feeling like the problem is more in the repercussions or lack thereof, for offenders. Too many times this year alone, I have witnessed bullying and all of the appropriate steps have been taken, and it still seems like not much has been done to prevent it from happening again. Sure, our administrators can and have suspended the bullies, talked with the bullies and their parents, etc., but nothing has changed in that bully's behavior. So, while I do agree that a tip line may help with incidences being reported, I'm afraid we need to take another look at options for consequences for the offenders. Oftentimes in education anymore, I feel helpless to help these kids who so desperately need our help!
Posted by: Michelle Young | December 14, 2008 09:38 AM
Bullying seems to be a problem in most schools but what are we as educators doing about it?
Funding is being cut that addresses character education and its not taught in any curriculum for any substantial amount of time.
Posted by: Danelle Uniatowski | February 16, 2010 05:19 PM