A school district in the small town of Sherrodsville is doing big things in an effort to curb bullying in schools.

The Conotton Valley Union Local School District is taking steps to provide resources and tools to prevent bullying.

The app, ‘Report Bullying,’ was launched on the district’s website roughly two weeks ago. It includes a bullying report form. The form does not require a person to give their name and asks questions such as: ‘What is the name of the bully,’ ‘Who is the target of the bully,’ and ‘What would you like to report.’

“I noticed this app on an out of state school’s website while I was conducting research on anti-bullying strategies,” explained Conotton Valley Superintendent Todd Herman. “I want to ensure that our students have resources at their disposal that make it easy for them to report inappropriate activity.”

On Friday, March 23^rd Conotton Valley students also participated in an assembly where they were given the opportunity to work with a local group that is unveiling their ‘Unbullyable’ program. Conotton Valley will be a pilot school.

More than 60 students in grades 6-12 have signed up to be ambassadors for their peers.

The district also has a safe school hotline that has been in place for several years. “We are working very hard through our ‘Leader in Me’ and ‘Anti-Virus’ character building programs to educate students on identifying bullying behavior,” Herman added. “Sometimes students are ‘rude’ or ‘mean’ to one another. Although it may not be bullying, it is still an opportunity to educate all participants in a better way to live.”

With the app having just been recently launched, Herman noted it has not been used, yet.

So, what happens if/when someone does report an incident using the app?

“Conotton Valley will investigate and address all bullying reports,” said Herman. “If the investigation determines an act of bullying has occurred, that student or students will be disciplined.”

He added he is confident the app will be a great tool.

Michaela Madison Reporting