Harassers face harsh lesson
Oak Bay High School’s junior boys basketball team is out of the city playoffs because school authorities have taken a strong stand against harassment. The punishment is harsh, but justified. One member of the team took a photo that Piet Langstraat, superintendent of the Greater Victoria School District, described as “highly inappropriate.” As too often happens these days, the boy compounded his offence by posting the photo on social media.
The boy who had been photographed faced abuse and harassment.
“In this particular case, I would have to describe it as being bullied,” Langstraat said.
Although only a few of the boys were involved with the photo, most of the players knew about it, but stood by.
That’s why the school decided to cancel the team’s season.
The school and the school board have to walk the talk. It’s not enough to lecture students about harassment; people in authority have to be ready to back up the words with action. That’s what happened in this case.
The offence was not just by the person who took and posted the photo, although his actions were contemptible. The other members of the team who knew about it and did nothing are also at fault.
If there is one lesson we want the students to learn here, it’s a lesson we must all learn: Do not stand by when you see wrong being done.
A generation or more ago, it was one youngster beating another in the schoolyard while dozens of others stood by and did nothing. Now the abuse is as likely to be online, where the number of bystanders is potentially multiplied.
Victims of school bullying have long complained that reporting it was useless because teachers and administrators rarely did anything to make it stop. These days, schools show a greater resolve because we have a better understanding of the effects of harassment and abuse.
It is likely that this lesson will be burned into the memories of the basketball players. Perhaps others will also learn from it.
Adults are well-practised at punishing kids for their transgressions. What about applying the same lessons to ourselves?
How often do we see people being victimized on the street, at work or in the home, and stand silent as those basketball players did? It takes strength to speak out, but it’s a strength we must cultivate in ourselves as much as in our children.
The real culprit is the person who took and posted the photos, not the school or the school district. They did the right thing by reacting firmly.
The players, who were ranked No. 1 on the Lower Island, will miss a chance at the city playoffs. For some, it might be their only shot at that level. It’s a harsh lesson, but one they will remember. The rest of us should remember it, too.