The school district has recently enrolled in the online anti-bullying program STOPit. The program uses anonymous reporting to ensure complete anonymity for students.

“The district purchased the program because there was data to show the district had an increase in bullying incidents,” Principal Valerie Payne said. “There were also concerns some incidents were not being reported for fear of retaliation.”

STOPit Founder Todd Schobel created the program after finding out of the tragic story of Amanda Todd, a victim of cyberbullying who took her own life at 15 years old. According to the program’s official website, STOPit instantly and anonymously connects people with administrators.

“Nothing can be done about bullying that is never reported,” guidance counselor David Ramsey said. “However, within the first day of the program going live, we received a couple of reports and were able to investigate and resolve them.”

While bullying surpasses basic cyber or physical interactions, the district hopes the program will mitigate it at Lindale. If you or someone you know is currently experiencing bullying, do not hesitate to report it using STOPit.

“Feedback on the app so far has been positive,” Payne said. “I’m happy to see a new change in the positive direction in fighting bullying.”