St. Bernard deputies speak to students about the dangers of cyberbullying

A lecture was held March 16 at N.P. Trist Middle School in Meraux to educate students in sixth through eighth grades about the dangers of using social media and cyberbullying. Participants in the lecture included, from left: St. Bernard Sheriff’s Office Det. Donald Shreve and Lt. Michelle Canepa, and Trist Principal Denise Pritchard. Deputies who also participated in the lecture but are not pictured are: Capt. Mark Jackson and Det. Joe Warren.

Several deputies with the St. Bernard Sheriff’s Office juvenile division recently facilitated a talk with a group of middle school students about the dangers of using social media, Sheriff James Pohlmann said.

During the lecture held March 16 at N.P. Trist Middle School in Meraux, Capt. Mark Jackson, Lt. Michelle Canepa, Det. Donald Shreve and Det. Joe Warren were accompanied by an agent from Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry’s Bureau of Investigations Cyber Crime Unit.

Students in sixth through eighth grades were educated on the risks involved with cyberbullying, or using technology to harass, threaten, embarrass or target another person. Students were given information on how to recognize cyberbullying, as well as advice on how to respond to certain situations that may arise.

Trist Principal Denise Pritchard also took part in the lecture.

“We have been having more and more problems arising from social media pouring into our schools,” Pritchard said. “We have been spending a lot of time investigating things on social media that are disrupting learning time so we wanted to bring in some professionals to offer their expertise in this area and speak directly to the students.”

For more information about cyberbullying, or to organize an educational talk, contact the St. Bernard Sheriff’s Office juvenile division at (504) 278-7749, or Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry’s Investigations Division at (225) 326-6100.