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Mother pushes Montgomery County Public Schools to address cyberbullying happening on Zoom classes

Students hacked into Zoom classes at John Poole Middle School recently. It left one mother fearing people and the district thought her son was a racist.

WASHINGTON — Parents in Montgomery County are urging Montgomery County Public Schools to address cyberbullying.  

Carla Rook said her 8th-grade son is yet to fully recover from his cyberbullying at John Poole Middle School, in Poolesville, Maryland.  

Back on September 11, 2020, she said a non-JPMS student gained access to the Zoom meeting ID and passcode and “broke” into class, assuming her son’s identity and screen name. The student kept the camera off but began hurling foul language and racial slurs in the class under the assumed name of her student, according to Rook.

A link was later shared, and her son was subject to his peers calling him a racist as a result. Rook said she appealed to the Montgomery County Board of Education and they finally ruled her son’s case was cyberbullying. 

According to a report by the board of education, the principal investigated but determined it was a “one-time random occurrence.”

“When somebody has the log-on information at the exact time with your child's exact name first and last, that's not random,” said Rook.

Now, towards the end of the school year, another case just like her sons has occurred within Montgomery County Public Schools.

On Monday, May 24, another student at John Poole Middle School was bullied in a similar fashion. WUSA9 obtained a letter sent to classroom parents from the school principal saying the student has been identified and received consequences.  

“I'm so disappointed and feel so sad for the second victim that this happened and never should have happened,” said Rook. “Nothing was learned.”

“I think it's important that everyone knows every parent knows so that they can have these conversations with their children,” added Rook. “There's a huge disconnect and accountability.”

WUSA9 reached out to Montgomery County Public Schools. A spokesperson sent this statement:  

"Bullying and harassment of any kind will not be tolerated in our schools and Poole Middle School leadership acted swiftly to investigate and address these incidents. Students who engage in this behavior do receive consequences aligned with the MCPS Student Code of Conduct. These were isolated incidents and the Zoom platform remains the most secure option for our students and staff. We are not planning any changes to our technology platform for the Virtual Academy and districtwide use at this time.”

RELATED: Hackers disrupt online learning with vulgarity, porn in Prince George's County

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