Clayton County Schools leaders have a warning for parents of students who are bullying others or displaying inappropriate behavior online: stop or we’ll send a school resource officer to your home.
During an online community meeting Tuesday, district leaders said that teachers, counselors, administrators and others have reported increasingly troubling behavior among some students that have raised concerns about their actions and their well-being.
“We’re seeing bullying, we’re seeing threats, we’re seeing nudity and pornographic material,” said Chief Thomas Trawick, who oversees safety for Clayton County Schools.
“If we see something that is threatening or if we see something that is grossly out of the ordinary, the investigators are making home visits,” said Trawick, who added that some of the behaviors are serious enough to be prosecuted. “We want to make sure the environments are safe for our students and conducive to constructive behavior.”
The issue is not confined to Clayton, which started school Aug. 10 with all-virtual learning. Henry County Police earlier this month warned students not to show pornagraphic material while in class and said it could lead to prosecution. A 17-year-old from Coweta County also was arrested and accused of bullying after he coerced girls at his high school into sending nude photos of themselves to him.
Trawick did not say how many home visits his department has made nor whether anyone has been prosecuted.
Ebony Lee, assistant superintendent of curriculum, instruction and assessment, sounded off on similar matters, including the need for students to be aware of their surroundings while online and to come to class properly dressed.
“We want our students to have the proper attire,” she said. ”Proper attire just means something you can wear to school and it’s appropriate.”
She added: “We want our students to be aware of where they are because they are on a web camera.”
Trawick said the district also is stepping up patrols around school bus stops where Clayton students get breakfasts and lunches. The district has heard reports that people are speeding in cars around the area.
“SROs are patrolling the areas and assisting (the nutrition department) and monitoring the activity at those stops,” he said.
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