PCSO Holds Cyberbullying Seminar

Phillips County Sheriff's Department held a seminar on cyberbullying at the Malta High School auditorium on Thursday, October 28th.

Sheriff's Deputies Taylor Matthews and Faith Robinson, along with Tina Mord, a juvenile probation officer for Blaine, Phillips, and Valley Counties, held two presentations. One with the high schoolers, the other with the middle schoolers.

The presenters kept the students engaged, informing them on the many different types of cyberbullying that can occur and gave many examples of what each one of them is. The deputies asked a good number of questions and got a wide variety of answers.

The students were then told what the consequences of bullying were. It is a serious problem, with serious consequences. Students that are 18-years-old are charged under the adult penalties, while those under 18 fall into the juvenile probation office.

"Snap Chat and Tik Tok with the 14-15-year-olds are the biggest problems we have around here," said Deputy Faith Robinson. "That's what we have written the most tickets for. With the kids, they don't know how to step away from it. They end up taking it home with them and it just gets worse."

In the seminar, the deputies also informed the students what to do if they are being cyberbullied. They should block the individuals, walk away from the piece of technology that it is happening on and inform a trusted adult about what is going on. They also told the students that they should never give their passwords out, even to friends.

Malta High School Principal Shawn Bleth said, "I think it was a very good presentation. I'm pretty sure it got the attention of some of the students as to what kind of trouble they can get in. A joke to one person may not be so funny to another."