Teen Turns Texting Into Anti-Bullying Tool for Schools

 January 27, 2011

By The Associated Press

Premium article access courtesy of Edweek.org.

Wantage, N.J.

Ashley Craig recalls a turning point in her life.
She was an 8th grader at Sussex Middle School when a classmate sat her down at a desk. "I'm going to end it," she recalls him saying. "I don't have any friends. People make fun of me. I'm going to end my life."
She promised to keep his secret but immediately told a guidance counselor. The boy went into therapy, and later thanked her for saving his life.
Craig, a victim of taunting herself, decided to take a stand against bullying. After eight months of research, the now-14-year-old presented an anti-bullying campaign to the High Point Board of Education, and the board unanimously approved her initiative, "Students Against Being Bullied," as a student group.
Craig, with assistance from school officials, is now implementing her three-tiered plan, which relies largely on teen favorite for communication: text messaging.
"It was my bullying experience, my friends, and, overall, just seeing the enormity of the issue (that motivated me)," she said. "It's being called an epidemic now."
Students Against Being Bullied will incorporate two designated texting systems. One is a report line, where administrative heads will be alerted of inappropriate behavior by victims or bystanders; the students' names will remain confidential unless the situation is life-threatening. The second is a support line, where counselors will be available to provide resources to benefit the students.
The two help lines are strictly for text messaging between the hours of 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. An e-mail system will also be in place for non-urgent reports or questions outside the texting hours.

"I hope that students will no longer feel as though they have to hold back on what they are experiencing or what they are watching other students experience," Craig said. “With this 'Report and Support Line,' students will no longer feel as if they have no one to talk to, that the only way to resolve their issues is to take their own lives."
Craig said she designed this system based on knowledge of her generation, so she went with texting. She found that 22 percent of children ages 6 to 9 own cell phones, 60 percent of students 10 to 14 have cell phones and 84 percent of teens from age 15 to 18 have them.
The systems will require two cell phones and unlimited texting plans. The monthly estimate: $45 per line. Craig is currently hashing out possible contracts with service providers.
The second phase of her plan includes a peer support group that will meet twice a month for one hour to give students the opportunity to speak with other students about bullying issues. The sessions will be facilitated by guidance counselors.
"There are a lot of other kids who are bullied or were bullies," Craig said. "(The peer support group) is there to make students aware that they're not alone and to let them know we are here to help." To ensure students won't feel insecure, other students from various school groups will attend each meeting so there is never just one person at the gathering.
The third phase of Craig's plan is to designate a safe room that will be open before classes start, from 7 to 7:30 a.m. The teacher-supervised haven will provide a safe environment to any student.
"I've been in education for 20 years and I've never had a student who wanted to make a difference as much as this girl," said freshman guidance counselor Lisa Frisbie, who is working with Craig on the plan.
In middle school, Craig was honored with the caring student award and the Prudential Spirit of the Community Award for creating thoughtful fundraisers. In sixth grade, she founded a drive that collected school supplies for students who could not afford them; in response to the budget crisis in her eighth-grade year, she created an event that raised nearly $1,600 to save various extracurricular activities at Sussex Middle School.

Today, she is a member of P.R.I.D.E (Peers Rejoicing In a Drug-Free Environment), S.A.V.E (Students Against Violence Everywhere), and the Gay/Straight Alliance.

With a state statute passed in November that gave New Jersey the strictest anti-bullying policy in the nation, Frisbie said Trenton is merely "riding Ashley's coattails."
Craig is anxious to get the ball moving. The next few weeks will be used to create posters to bring awareness to the new student activist group, which will be followed by an interactive student assembly that will explain the issue to students and inform them of their new resources.
"I hope to go statewide with this and I will work extremely hard to get there," Craig said.
Education Week