Boston Herald, April 16, 2008
By: Marie Szaniszlo

She was an assistant principal at a Boston-area high school three years ago when she discovered a MySpace.com page under her name – carrying her photograph and a series of disturbing messages from students.

“One said, ‘I want to kill her,’ ” said the woman, who asked that her name and her school’s be withheld. “It was shocking. As an administrator, you have to roll with the punches. But a number of kids who posted these messages were kids I’d thought I had excellent relationships with. You can’t say it doesn’t hurt.”

She is one of a growing number of teachers and administrators who have found themselves the victims of cyberbullying, a problem that has become widespread enough that it has caught the attention of prosecutors and police.

“It’s a troubling outgrowth of what we’re seeing not only in high schools but in middle schools, as well,” said Middlesex District Attorney Gerry Leone, who addressed the issue yesterday at a Wakefield conference with teachers, guidance counselors and administrators. “What kids are finding is that the anonymity of the cyber world allows them to intimidate and harass people.”

Leone cited numerous instances in which students have used their cell phones to photograph or videotape teachers and posted the pictures, accompanied by insults or threats, on Web sites such as MySpace or YouTube.

Unless a student threatens physical harm, however, authorities can do little, except to ask the Web site to take down the material.

“Hopefully, on the front end is where we can address the problem by fostering an atmosphere of tolerance and respect in schools and by letting parents know,” Leone said. “Most have no idea their kids are doing this.”