By Keighla Schmidt, Staff Writer

“Cyber bullying” has been added to the Prior Lake-Savage Area School District’s policy in an effort to keep up with state law and to reflect the technological times.

“By state statute we need to include cyber bullying in this policy,” Superintendent Sue Ann Gruver told the Prior Lake-Savage Area School Board Monday night (Oct. 12).

According to the state statute, School District 719’s Policy 506 must address “intimidation and bullying in all forms, including, but not limited to, electronic forms and forms involving internet use.”

Board Member Eric Pratt inquired about reporting bullying incidences to the police liaison officer.

“Are we required to report, especially when we start talking about the digital pieces, to the police liaison when we find these scenarios?” he asked.

Gruver said handling of the cases vary.

“We will recommend that a child who has been harassed through any form of cyber bullying that they contact their local police station,” she said. “But when something has impacted us on our site, then we do involve our police liaison.”

Prior Lake High School Principal Dave Lund added even when things start at home but carry over to the school, state courts make room for the school to step in.

“We will very often deal with something that has started at home at night, but does spill over and affect the safety and security at school we will deal with that,” the principal said. “We will do that and we have done it before.”

The policy was unanimously approved on a first-reading basis and will come back to the School Board for final approval at the Oct. 26 board meeting.