Silencing Social Media on Suicidal Matters at a School Setting

Cyberbullying has become a real and occasionally lethal threat among adolescents during the past years. The act of cyberbullying is often untraceable, leaving victims tormented and routinely harassed on social media. This emerging problem causes depression and anxiety, psychologically affecting our adolescents. With an increase in adolescents’ suicides, cyberbullying should be examined as a risk factor. This case describes how the tragic suicide of a student at Heartsville High School immersed Principal Ivy La Fleur in the middle of a convoluted situation affecting students, parents, and staff. A series of events allowed the seasoned school principal to investigate the matter in depth, discover the struggles students were suffering in terms of cyberbullying, put a plan in place to manage a general crisis affecting the entire educational community, and promote changes to avoid similar situations in the near future