Haddonfield students get new tool against bullying

Sick of being cyber-bullied? Know a friend in trouble? In a dark place yourself, but not sure where to turn?

If you are a student at Haddonfield Memorial High School, help is at your fingertips.

At two assemblies Thursday, the school marked its rollout of STOPit, a smartphone and tablet application that makes it easier for students to report bullying or other concerns to trusted adults.

"We feel we're giving them a safer, healthier environment," said principal Charles Klaus, who considers the potential benefits well worth the approximately $3 per student the district will pay.

App developer Todd Schobel, a Cherry Hill native who lives in Hunterdon County, N.J., said STOPit grew out of his devastation over the story of Amanda Todd, a Canadian teenager who killed herself in 2012 after being cyber-bullied for years.

"I have young kids, and everything collapsed on me emotionally," Schobel said.

Not long after, he said, he quit his job as a marketing products consultant to devote himself to finding a way to help combat cyberbullying.

"The best way to do that," he decided, "is to empower the kids."

Once the app is opened, the STOPit button allows students who have been cyber-bullied to screen-capture offending content and report it to school personnel or other trusted adults.

The FRIENDit button allows students to anonymously report cyberbullying of classmates or other concerns - a friend cutting herself, another friend with problems at home - to school officials, teachers, or other adults.

The REPORTit button alerts police to potentially criminal behavior.

Finally, the HELPit button connects with a crisis help line that has counselors available 24/7.

So far, the app is in 14 schools - including Crest Memorial in Wildwood Crest, Haddonfield, and three others in New Jersey - and rollout rallies are planned for 15 others, according to app spokesman Michael Paffmann. Schobel said he had also received interest from quite a few other locales, including Singapore and Puerto Rico.

Last school year, David Brearley Middle and High School in Kenilworth, N.J., was the first to adopt the app, offering it to its 725 seventh through 12th graders at a district cost of about $2,500 annually, according to principal Brian Luciani.

"To me, you're getting a lot of bang for your buck," Luciani said.

In part, the app is a deterrent, he said; students who would engage in bullying behavior know it is much easier to get reported. And students worried about friends are more likely to report their concerns via phone or tablet than if they had to go to a teacher's or administrator's office.

"The anonymity is huge," Luciani said.

In addition, he said he was hearing about problems before they escalate, and was seeing a down tick in incidents.

"If one or two issues don't occur compared to the last year, it's a win-win to me," the principal said.

At Thursday's assemblies at Haddonfield, Sgt. Tom Rich, a Somerset officer who has given talks on cyber safety around the country and has taken a six-month leave to work with STOPit, gave lively presentations on smart digital behavior.

If students or someone they know is hurting, he said, they should use the app.

"If anyone in this auditorium feels that way or know someone who feels that way," Rich said, "today is the day to stand up and make a difference."

Haddonfield in the last couple of years has increased anti-bullying programs, and Tracy Matozzo, the dean of students, said that from 2012-13 to 2013-14, there was a 60 percent decline in incidents.

Students said they believe the app will help even more.

Drew Conti, 17 and a senior, said he thought it would be a deterrent.

"People are going to be concerned how easily they can get caught," he said.

Annie Gosse, 16, a junior, thought the anonymity was a major plus.

"People will be willing to report more things," she said.

Brooke Jordan, 16 and a junior on the school safety committee, said people would feel more comfortable helping a friend.

"I think overall it gives the school and students the opportunity to make a difference," she said.