November 11, 2011
Judge Tom
3

Middle school teacher tackles bullying with software program

We recently came across a software program designed to protect victims and bystanders from ongoing bullying. Created by middle school teacher, Joe Bruzzese* of California, Sprigeo provides 24/7 anonymous reporting with no fear of retaliation.

Bullies use intimidation and threats of continued violence to keep their victims from reporting. Bruzzese’s program allows a student to file a report from the Sprigeo homepage, or by connecting to Sprigeo from their school’s website or any internet-enabled device. The report is forwarded directly to the principal’s email without identifying the reporter if not disclosed.

Sprigeo maintains it’s own database of reports with features to tract and document bullying and safety incidents. The program is being used by schools in nine states with others considering its use.

As Bruzzese states “Doesn’t logic dictate that if you don’t feel safe, you are not prepared to learn?” Over 100,000 students skip school every day out of fear of being bullied. Sprigeo and other bullying prevention programs will assist in this global epidemic.

*Joe Bruzzese is the author of “A Parents’ Guide to the Middle School Years” and hosts a regular show on Blog Talk Radio. Learn more at Joe’s site the Middle School Years.

Judge Tom

The Author Judge Tom

Judge Tom is the founder and moderator of AsktheJudge.info. He is a retired juvenile judge and spent 23 years on the bench. He has written several books for lawyers and judges as well as teens and parents including 'Teen Cyberbullying Investigated' (Free Spirit Publishing) and 'Every Vote Matters: the Power of Your Voice, from Student Elections to the Supreme Court' (Free Spirit Publishing). In 2020, the American Bar Association published "Cyberbullying Law," the nation's first case-law book written for lawyers, judges and law students. When he's not answering teens' questions, Judge Tom volunteers with the American Red Cross and can be found hiking, traveling and reading.

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3 Comments

  • Tulsa Divorce Lawyers
    November 11, 2011 10:58 am count( 0 )

    Bullying has become such a pervasive problem that it now requires creative measures in order to combat. I think Bruzzese’s idea is a step in the right direction.