TUESDAY, APRIL 20, 2010
(Updated 3:00 am)
The suicide death of a Kernersville teenager last week is a private tragedy that raises strong public concerns.
Fifteen-year-old Ashley Rogers hanged herself in her bedroom closet days after her parents complained to Glenn High School officials that she had received hurtful text messages from fellow students.
Todd and Christine Rogers don't attribute their daughter's death to the harassment, noting that Ashley had experienced depression for years. But the youngster's fragile emotional state made her a vulnerable target for hateful attacks. It may be impossible to rule out the influence of peers on her final desperate actions.
Bullying is an unfortunately enduring trait of human behavior, but technology has given it new forms of expression and greater reach. Teens with access to cell phones and online social networking sites can communicate everywhere and all the time. Staying in touch, though, means never escaping the reach of those who inflict pain with insults, rumors and lies.
So it's essential for adults to identify bullies and stop the harassment. In a highly publicized Massachusetts case, that led to criminal charges against six high school students whose bullying drove a classmate to suicide.
Kernersville police are looking into Ashley's death. Any evidence that North Carolina's cyber-bullying law was violated should bring charges against suspects. School officials, while saying they don't tolerate bullying, added they can't discipline students for actions taken outside school. Perhaps not, but they should investigate to find out whether any harassment occurred at school and, if so, take appropriate action.
Meanwhile, parents must monitor their children's activities. It requires pushy parenting to stay on top of teens' cell phone and online habits, but it's important. Inappropriate use should be stopped, and victims must be protected. Online bullies can be as dangerous as online predators. Parents who lock their front doors against anyone threatening their children must be just as guarded against threats that get in by other means.
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