What happens when a principal is bullied online?

For schools up and down the country, students bullying each other is one of the most unpleasant things they have to deal with. 

More and more, it takes place online and, increasingly, the victims are not only school students.

Reputational firm, RiskEYE, told The Pat Kenny Show many principals are “at their wits' end” dealing with online problems.

“It can be student versus teacher, teacher versus teacher, principal or teacher in an argument or egregious conversation with each other,” CEO Nicola Byrne said. 

Previously, a school’s reputation usually got around a community through word of mouth. 

Now, most people do their research online and this can cause a school problems. 

“Some of the most common things that arise are vexatious and scurrilous Google reviews that can damage the potential reputation of the school - particularly around enrolment time,” Ms Byrne said. 

“Something might happen that’s outside the control of the school and all of a sudden, the school [gets] the blame for whatever happens within a community. 

“So, RiskEYE are then helping school leaders deal with these really potentially damaging Google reviews that are out there.” 

Cyberbullying. Picture by: Rieth from Pixabay

Despite the risk of being sued for libel, Ms Byrne said many of the reviews are “absolutely unfounded”. 

“There might be some truth in it but we always find the first line of defence is having a conversation with the school,” she said. 

“The first line of defence is having a meeting with the Principal or Deputy Principal or whoever the issue is with, rather than going out and typing a Google review that’s potentially damaging to a school - and a whole community.”

Parody accounts, in which people make a fake account that purports to be a real person, have become “very common” in recent years. 

“It’s often comedic but then [shares] insulting memes about teachers and information that’s factually untrue about the school,” Ms Byrne said. 

“We’re encouraging schools to trademark their school logo or their school name so platforms are more compelled to take down information that’s damaging about a school.” 

According to a 2023 survey by CyberSafeKids, 40% of children in Ireland have been bullied online in the previous year. 

Main image: Teenage girls on their phones. Picture by: Deborah Lee Rossiter / Alamy