Out in the ballfield or in the halls, do you hear whispers of threats or intimidation of another student?

On blog sites around the Internet, are there youngsters who have fallen victim to cyberbullying—trash talk laced with intimidation?

If so, report it.

Let the principals and administrators know who are at the school of the victim. Let the victim’s parents know, but by all means, let someone know who has the authority and ability to stop it.

“The only way to stop it is to be aware of it,” said Bainbridge High School Principal Tommie Howell.

The Board of Education has a policy against bullying. They also have offered training in what constitutes bullying and how to effectively stop it.

One of the major factors in its effectiveness of stopping bullying is the acknowledgment that it won’t be tolerated, Howell said.

Bullying has been around for a long time. A new spin is the cyberbullying, where the intimidation and threats are blasted on the Internet or cell phones instead of just the halls of schools or alleys of neighborhoods.

In the face of national media reports of young lives ending too early because of bullying, it is comforting to know that the Decatur County schools have had training and a have made a concerted effort to stop it.

But bullying won’t stop until a heavier hand than the bully’s comes down upon them. And the only way to do that is for those who are aware of bullies to report them.