Teen starts Instagram page to show student struggles in school
STOW — A new Instagram page is sharing anonymous stories from students at Stow-munroe Falls High School, in northeast Ohio, who say they have experienced racism, bullying, homophobia, sexual harassment or mental health challenges but felt ignored when they reached out for help.
The account, concernedstudentsofsmfhs, has already caught the attention of Principal Jeff Hartmann, who called it “one-sided” and said it “does not portray the support provided by our counselors each and every day” in an Oct. 29 email to high school parents. The district has declined further comment.
But the creator of the account, which now has over 500 followers, says its intent is not to attack the school but to implore it to “do better.”
“My goal is to get LGBTQ+ and mental health involved in (Diversity, Equity and Inclusion) because that’s a wonderful, wonderful program, and I want them to get some additional counseling staff, and maybe more mental health resources,” account creator Alexandria Bloom, 15, said. “A lot of what I’m seeing is that the counselors just don’t have the time for all of them. I know how many people go there a day, and I understand that they are overworked. Getting help for them would overall help the students and the counselors.”
Bloom, a high school sophomore, created the account about two weeks ago after learning that there were no apparent repercussions for a classmate who was captured on video calling another student a racial slur while in school.
“Other people in class chimed in telling similar stories, and then we were still talking about it at lunch and people were sharing their stories there too,” Bloom said. “I said this is clearly a recurring issue.”
Recognizing a trend, Bloom pitched it as story idea for the Stohion, the high school newspaper, but knew she also wanted to incorporate social media as well. Her story is scheduled to publish in the November edition.
Bloom, one of the newspaper editors, cleared the idea for the Instagram page with her parents, who offered their full support. She created the page, which stated its intent was to “give students in the high school a place to share their stories that are silenced by administrators,” and asked people to direct-message their experiences.
The next morning, Bloom had over 200 followers and 20 messages from students and alumni, and posted the first anonymous story about bullying and attempted suicide soon after.
“That story inspired so many more people to message me and ask for their story to be shared,” she said. “So many felt like the problems that they brought to the administration didn’t matter. The administration is supposed to be there to listen and help you and when students don’t feel like they’re being helped, there’s definitely an issue.”
Bloom said she does not investigate any aspect of the stories she receives, but does check each submitter’s Instagram page to determine if they are in fact either current or former students of the district.
She also makes clear to the submitters that she will honor their anonymity and that she may slightly edit their stories before posting.
“Honestly, it makes me really happy that people are willing to share, and I feel a great sense of responsibility,” she said.
As of Thursday, Bloom had several stories from the week prior that she had yet to post because she does not believe in dumping them all at once.
“I want them each to have their moment in the spotlight,” she said. “These stories are so deeply personal that they deserve to be at the forefront. Especially since the entire point of the account is to get stories that were silenced out.”
Bloom said she has received overwhelmingly positive support from students, but was called in for a meeting with a principal once the school learned who was behind the page.
Her parents were not invited to the meeting.
Bloom said she felt “threatened” by the conversation after she was told that the school discussed her Instagram page with lawyers and asked her to take it down. Bloom has no intention of deleting the account, but ultimately agreed to redact any names of school staff “out of respect, because I do have respect for them. I wasn’t trying to look down on or create negative perceptions of them.”
The following Monday, Hartmann sent out an email about the “anonymous social media” saying that school officials were aware of the account.
“This information is onesided and does not portray the support provided by our counselors each and every day,” he wrote. “The content on these pages may discourage students from seeking mental health support while at school. We continue to encourage any student who is struggling to come to the counseling office. If there are concerns about past incidents, please contact the Safety Tip Line at 330-7891383 or our district Director of Student Services, Kristie Prough, at st—kproughsmfcsd.org.”
Bloom said she was disappointed by the response.
“Instead of considering that any of these stories were true,” she said, “they were trying to discredit them all, and discredit me.”