Images from Twitter

A few of the offensive tweets made public during the WJ and Whitman clash.

A recent outbreak on Twitter has reignited the spark in the controversy surrounding what can be considered cyberbullying. At the MCPS Cheerleading Division Championships on Nov. 15, the WJ Varsity Cheerleading squad managed to take home first place for the second year in a row- a feat that didn’t sit well with some of the other competitors. Walt Whitman Cheerleading, who snagged third place behind Magruder, was specifically vocal in their disappointment surrounding the competition results.

“What makes me so mad is that WJ can say they won,” one Whitman cheerleader tweeted, extending her rant in a series of hard-hitting tweets.

“Our score was higher than [WJ’s] so they don’t really even deserve to win,” she continued.

WJ senior and cheer captain Amanda Sipes explained that one tweet specifically started the argument.

“One of the Whitman cheerleaders tweeted… that they scored 400 points and that they were the only team which scored 400 points, which was not true, because WJ scored over 400 for the first time ever,” she said. “There was a lot of back and forth arguing between [members] of WJ cheer and Whitman cheer… some other students started joining in and some people were saying mean stuff about each other.”

WJ cheerleaders took to Twitter to defend their division title, but the public comments quickly got out of hand. Within minutes, the minor confrontation grew into a major fight, involving large numbers of the students at both Whitman and WJ. Harsh statements were made and few apologies were seen from both sides in the altercation.

“What sport are [you] guys good at [sic] in fact what are you guys known for besides having a huge meth problem,” one Whitman male wrote. He then proceeded to write that “WJ cheerleaders will be the victims when they play Whitman [in basketball].”

“[We’re] a family please do yourself a favor and don’t [mess] with us,” a WJ junior and cheerleader tweeted quickly after.

“How [are you going to]  hate from outside the division? You can’t even get in…” a WJ senior stated in a tweet.

Students replied back and forth with various insults, including some words that could potentially be seen as threats.

“The only time WJ has ever been relevant was when someone got stabbed at their school. #classy,” a Whitman cheerleader wrote.

“I don’t understand why you would laugh at the fact that someone got stabbed with scissors at our school, shouldn’t you be afraid? Lol,” one WJ student fired back.

In order to ensure that an incident like this wouldn’t happen again, WJ administration took action. No suspensions were issued at WJ surrounding the event, but some people received lunch detentions. For the upcoming winter basketball season, WJ Cheerleading is not supposed to go to the Whitman games, both home and away. The consequences for the Whitman students who were involved are unknown. 

“The administrators called some of the cheerleaders down and made us write apology letters to WJ Cheer- not Whitman cheer, because we didn’t owe them an apology. The administration had to talk to the Whitman principal and coaches,” said WJ senior Danielle Orsak, who was one of the cheerleaders involved in the conflict. 

According to MCPS Superintendent Joshua Starr’s message on cybercivility, “using social media and other digital tools in a responsible, respectful manner [allows] individuals to communicate freely and share ideas without the threat of intimidation, harassment or abuse.”

The MCPS Cybercivility Task Force was made official in 2014, and stands to “develop strategies to encourage healthy online decisions/behaviors by students and adults and create/evaluate tools [used] to foster a culture of cybercivility.”

Not all cases of cyberbullying in the WJ community are publicized quite as much as the recent Twitter outbreak, but that does not mean they do not happen. In previous years, websites such as High School Memes and Twitter accounts such as “WJ’s Finest,”have proven that sometimes online bullying can be the most impactful.

“I personally think cyberbullying isn’t a huge issue, but when it does happen it gets pretty big,” Orsak said.

In 2013, Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley signed a law prohibiting electronic harassment of a minor based on sex, race or sexual orientation. The law makes cyber-bulling a misdemeanor, which means that violators can be fined $500 or face up to a year in jail. The law is called Grace’s Law, named after 15-year-old Grace McComas of Howard County, who killed herself on Easter in 2012 after being viciously cyberbullied. Unfortunately, this law does not seem to have stopped all the harm cyberbullying brings.

“[Recently] there has been some cyberbullying over [a few] special needs kids, [but] I don’t think that the WJ and Whitman Twitter fight was cyberbullying… even though certain things were said, I… don’t consider that [bullying],” Orsak explained.

She added she has recently taken action against the bullying of the special needs students and has alerted administration of the issue. Unfortunately, administration has not told her what was done to stop the bullying.

According to WJ’s Disciplinary Policy, the minimum punishment for any form of bullying is a conference, while the maximum punishment can range from a suspension to an expulsion- and in some cases even a police referral. 

“I wouldn’t exactly consider [what happened on Twitter] cyberbullying, but I do think that there are some instances of cyberbullying at WJ… that specific [incident] was not because [the Whitman girl who started seems like she wasn’t hurt by it],” Sipes said. “[Afterwards] she went to her school and walked around like she was famous, and she even posted a picture [implying how famous she is].”

Some social media websites such as Twitter have attempted to educate both students and adults about cyberbullying prevention. On Twitter’s Help Center, a page titled “Families” covers safety tips and recommendations for appropriate usage of the website. Towards the bottom of the page, Twitter explains what to do if unwanted online behavior goes too far. One of the recommended solutions is to contact local law enforcement or legal representation- a decision that should not be taken lightly.

Regardless of the recent incidents at WJ, cyberbullying continues to be a growing issue around the nation. As the social media craze expands, hopefully adults and students alike will learn the importance of cybercivility and kindness online.