Dear Lake Harriet Community School Parents and Families,

I am writing to ask parents and guardians to continue to talk to their children about the harmful effects of bullying, particularly electronic aggression or cyber bullying. I would also encourage parents and guardians to closely monitor the programs, apps and browsing habits of your student(s).

Our school has had past electronic aggression incidents with ask.fm and Snapchat.  Ask.fm is a website that allows a member to ask a question that other – usually anonymous – members answer. The content of the site is often adult-themed and inappropriate for middle school age children. Some people use the site to harass others anonymously.  Snapchat is an app that students use on their phones/iPods.  Because the photos or posts disappear after a set period of time some students mistakenly believe that they can post inappropriate items without being noticed.  Most phones allow screen shots, however, and those screen shots can then be shared.

Minneapolis Public Schools takes electronic aggression very seriously and has procedures in place to investigate and make sure students feel supported and safe at school. If school district staff is able to determine the author of the aggressive posts, we take appropriate action including applying the MPS discipline policy.

Additionally, MPS provides programming to support students in building a positive peer-to-peer school culture in which any type of bullying is unacceptable and provides resources for parents to talk to their children about electronic aggression, what they do on the Internet and how to report inappropriate behavior.

The Office of Student Support Services at MPS provides useful information to help parents identify if his or her child is a victim of electronic aggression, or if his or her child may be witnessing or participating in electronic aggression. For more information, go to http://sss.mpls.k12.mn.us/

Your support in helping Lake Harriet Community School combat all forms of bullying is greatly appreciated. Should you have any further questions or concerns, please call the main office at 612.668.3310.