Bismarck Tribune - Bismarck News - MySpace video gets students in trouble

MySpace video gets students in trouble

Nov 23, 2006 - 04:07:14 CST

By SARA KINCAID
Bismarck Tribune

McClusky High School students face discipline for a video on MySpace.com showing them bullying another student.

School officials became aware of the video Wednesday and spoke with the students. The video was removed from the site, and the school is considering what disciplinary action will be taken against the students.

The video, titled "Bullies of the Month," was posted on a MySpace page belonging to a 17-year-old from McClusky. MySpace is a site popular with youth and young adults for meeting people, keeping in touch with friends and sharing music and videos.

In the video, students sit on couches and watch while two boys grab a boy standing by the lockers and hoist him off the ground by his wrist and ankles.

After several minutes of struggling, the boy is let go, and one of the two boys says into the camera that he bullied. Another video shows one of the boys from "Bullies of the Month" approaching another student in a chair and shoving at him until he falls out of the chair on the ground. This video does not have credits like the "Bullies" video, but is in the same setting and the student is wearing the same clothing.

"I think they're just horsing around," Principal Dan Klemisch said.

The students in the video are friends, he said. From the description of the setting, it appears to have been filmed in the school's commons area, he said.

Regardless of the students' intent, Klemisch said he took the video seriously. He spoke with the superintendent and the technology staffer Wednesday and started the investigation. By Wednesday afternoon, the video was no longer available on the teen's MySpace page.

Klemisch characterized the teens involved in the video as good kids, one in particular who likes to "clown around," and together they like to have fun.

Schools have bullies, and in light of other school incidents in the country, he doesn't want to overlook it, he said.

The school has a computer class that teaches students how to make videos to upload to the Internet. The bullying video, however, was taking something they learned too far, Klemisch said.

The teen who has the site could not have put the video on MySpace while at school. The district's Internet filter blocks the MySpace Web site.

Klemisch splits his time between McClusky and Goodrich schools. He was told by the superintendent that he stopped the boys from goofing off in the commons, and it might have been related to the video, he said.

"The superintendent must have caught the end of it and there will be consequences," for the boys, Klemisch said. "They were just being goofy and stupid."

The superintendent spoke with the students and some teachers Wednesday. They will be disciplined, but Klemisch would not comment on what type of disciplinary action would be taken.

(Reach reporter Sara Kincaid at 250-8251 or sara.kincaid@;bismarcktribune.com.)

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Comments

Dave Bundy, editor wrote on Nov 29, 2006 9:39 PM:

" To Local Yokel: Because of potential libel, we can't post your comments, but please contact our reporter. Your concerns are probably worthy of a followup. We've reported this as fully as we can without someone coming forward with more information. "

the Hammer wrote on Nov 26, 2006 10:38 PM:

" Yes it is important to stop bullying, but in the video the kids are from a small school where the high school has less than 50 kids, everyone there is friends. Kids should be able to have fun without being told that it is wrong. Though it should not have been put on the internet, they were just having fun. "

Nip this now!! wrote on Nov 24, 2006 12:27 AM:

" These kids need to be disciplined, because bullying has become a national epidemic resulting in murders and suicides. Joke or not, that was totally inappropriate, as bullying IS a problem, if not in the video, certainly everywhere else. To those who are bullied, that would not be anywhere near entertaining. It just reinforces to them that they have to take it if the school and adults they should be able to trust are looking the other way. Along with these kids being taught proper behavior and the sensitivity of the bullying issue, the PARENTS need to be made aware and expected to uphold the stand the school takes. Zero tolerance means just that. No parent should be able to "talk their kids way out of things" like this. Education and appropriate behavior starts in the home, if these parents need to be taught along with the kids, so be it. Take this opportunity to make an example of these kids so that maybe bullying won't be such a hot topic for a video or for anything else. People tend to blow it off and say it's not so bad, and maybe it isn't, unless your child is a victim and doesn't want to go to school, and has his/her school years totally ruined by one or two kids who think they are untouchable. These victims are extremely afraid, constantly embarrassed, and feeling dangerously helpless. How fair is that? I think most people don't have a clue what goes on. Maybe this will open some eyes. Make the book “The Bully, The Bullied, and the Bystander” mandatory reading for these kids, their parents, and then take it further, into the classroom, PTO, staffing, or any other opportunities to understand and stop it. When do adults take back control? "

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