Cyberbullying becoming real problem in Swampscott schools

SWAMPSCOTT – Cyberbullying in Swampscott schools is rising at an alarming rate, according to police and parents.School Resource Officer Detective Rose Cheever said there have been two online death threats in the middle school this week alone, for a total of three that are under investigation.”We have three incidents we’re working on right now,” she said. “Those are just the ones that have been reported to us. I’m sure there are a lot more that haven’t been reported. The most recent incident was brought to our attention by a parent because the threat talked about murder and it said ‘I’m going to kill you.'”Cheever said in the most recent incident, the department had to subpoena records from America On Line to identify the student making the threat.Resident Jessica O’Gorman, who has been networking with other parents in town, said the number of recent hate incidents is alarming and many of them are occurring online.She mentioned a recent incident in which a student received an email from a peer questioning why the student would date someone who was Jewish.O’Gorman said she was also made aware some students are making disparaging remarks about METCO students.Superintendent Matthew Malone said the district is taking on an initiative, which he calls respect for human differences.”It is an extension of one of our five core values – respect,” he said. “We’ve had some courageous conversations about what respect for human differences means and how we will respond when respect is trampled on.”Malone said the district is going to provide experiences for students that address the need to respect human differences.”We are reviewing our curriculum to engage students in content that addresses human differences,” he said. “I know for sure this will be controversial and upsetting to many people but we live in a pluralistic society and we value the diversity.”Malone added he believes the problem extends well beyond the schools.”Let me make this very clear,” he said. “This is not just a school issue, it is a town issue. It not only involves students. It involves adults as well.”