Eighth-graders at Jefferson Middle School will be the first students in the District to take a course to prevent digital dating abuse. “It’s a good time to do it — start with a school that doesn’t do [digital dating abuse] and then they’ll actually share it with other children, their own peers as to why it’s not a good thing to do,” said school counselor Nedra Jones. Administrators at the downtown school wants to prevent future problems with dating abuse, although Jones said there is no problem currently. The curriculum covers all kinds of dating abuse from sexting to cyberbullying to sending harassing e-mails.
Jones will teach the curriculum, called Love is Not Abuse, which includes what dating abuse is, what it looks like and how to prevent it. The school also is planning to bring in legal professionals
to explain the ramifications of “sexting” and other forms of digital dating abuse, according to Jones.
Sexting, or sending nude photos or inappropriate messages, is growing through cell phones and popular Web sites such as Facebook, Myspace and Twitter. According to a study from MTV and the Associated Press, 10 percent of those between the ages of 14 and 24 have sent a nude photo of themselves, and 15 percent have received nude photos from someone. Males and females were equally as likely to send nude images, the Cyberbullying Research Center found in a separate survey.
The program will be integrated into social studies classes as a part of the school’s group guidance program. In the past, the program has centered on self-esteem, self-worth, decision making, self-development and conflict resolution. This is the first time the school has tackled teen dating abuse, according to Jones.
One of the goals of the program is to teach students that it’s safe to talk to school counselors about all forms of abuse, whether it’s physical, emotional or digital. Jones said school officials often find out about digital dating abuse when students show them inappropriate pictures or text, whereas signs of physical and emotional abuse are easier to spot.
Some of the students are more skeptical about whether or not the course will help prevent abuse.
“It depends what kind of kids go to the school. Some kids don’t listen, some do,” said 13-year-old Keith Thomas.
Technological advances provide more ways for people to misuse technology, which is why Jefferson Middle School is hoping to run the program in the years to come.
“The technology that everyone is involved in today can actually be abusive to other people. Some kids have very difficult times being fooled with on the Internet, or the messages that are sent can be very damaging,” Jones said.
Even though the eighth-grade class has only had an informational meeting, some already understand the implications of dating abuse.
“Love shouldn’t hurt,” said 14-year-old Te’Aira Banks.
