Administrators have begun to crack down on bullying with a new policy. The document outlaws “unwanted conduct that takes place over time, and that comprises of serious incidents that are severe, pervasive and involve negative actions.”

Such policies are a step in the right direction. The administration must be given due credit for its attempt to foster a healthier school environment, a campus where no student must worry about his or her physical or emotional well-being.

Bullying is on the rise—not just at Saratoga High, but throughout the nation. In particular, the medium of the Internet has facilitated the rise in bullying.

With websites such as Formspring and Facebook that enable anonymity, students become easy targets for ruthless cyberbullies. In the fall, this paper extensively covered the impacts of cyberbullying: These include the invasion of privacy, access to personal documents and even the transfer of some student victims out of the school.

With the implementation of this new policy, the district has demonstrated its understanding of the potentially serious threat that cyberbullying poses to students.

However, curbing bullying requires more than just policy change. In order to further support the policy and bring about its intended effects, the administration should continue to move in the right direction by taking additional steps to back it up.

Some suggestions include the facilitation of teacher mentors and the extension of Link Crew activities in order to check up on possible targets. Victims of bullying must feel comfortable confiding in their mentors if change is to be properly effected.

There must also be an emphasis on promoting class and peer unity—something that has been worryingly absent, particularly within the freshman class. This has led to more reported incidents of misconduct, bullying and fighting among younger students. Additional steps must be taken to ease the transition into high school for these maturing students.

At the same time, school officials must strive for caution in their application of the statute. As bullying is a somewhat vague and undefined gray area, administrators have to remain judicious in doling out punishments.

The school certainly cannot hope to police the entire state of high school student affairs; thus, it must tread a fine line in upholding its responsibility to legitimate victims of bullying while keeping its hands out of most student interactions.

According to assistant principal Kevin Mount, prohibited actions include those that are “objectively offensive to the average person.” However, the standard of objectivity varies greatly between a teenage high school student and a middle-aged administrator. In this case, who would be considered the “average person”?

Therefore, the administration should be careful to not use the policy as an excuse to punish students simply for disagreeable, but hardly illegal behavior. If it chooses to apply the statute too broadly, it could perpetuate the unintended and negative consequences that it set out to eliminate in the first place.

Nonetheless, this paper strongly praises the administration for recognizing the importance of fighting bullying and implementing the new rules. The Falcon suggests that additional steps be taken to combat the problem—but in a wise and judicious manner.