Edmond student shares cyberbullying story

EDMOND — Outlining his own case of cyberbullying, a high school student urged Edmond School Board members and administrators to do more to combat the problem.

Drew O’Daniel, a sophomore at Edmond Memorial High School, was granted five minutes to speak to the five-member board during its regular meeting Monday night. During that time, he outlined an incident at the beginning of this school year, which he said led to bullying and a fight. That fight resulted in him and another student receiving a two-day school suspension.

While he was on the Memorial football team, he said a classmate demanded money from O’Daniel, which O’Daniel said he didn’t owe. When he refused to pay, O’Daniel said the student acquired a nude photograph of him, taken without his knowledge or permission. O’Daniel then said the student told him he would post the photograph online if he didn’t pay him. He still wouldn’t pay, and the photograph was posted.

What ensued was a confrontation, which led to a fight. After the students’ fifth hour of class in August, O’Daniel fought the other boy, although he said the student was “a foot taller and 60 pounds heavier.”

Even after the suspension, O’Daniel said he was subjected to more taunts and bullying and eventually quit the football team. He vowed not to let the bullying incident discourage him.

“I’m tough,” he said. “I’m a wrestler.”

O’Daniel’s comments came a month after his mother, Cara O’Daniel, requested the school board do more about bullying prevention. She and another mom, Julie Daniel, told the board there still were too many incidents of bullying in the Edmond school district.

Edmond public information director Susan Parks-Schlepp said the district policy has strict guidelines against bullying and takes every reported case seriously.

Yet, neither Drew nor Cara O’Daniel believed their concerns were taken seriously by the district. In Drew O’Daniel’s case, the incident was investigated by the Edmond Police Department. The police, spokeswoman Jenny Wagon said, took their findings to the Oklahoma County district attorney’s office, which decided not to file charges, citing a lack of evidence.

“I wasn’t interviewed by police until after the decision (not to press charges) had been made,” Drew O’Daniel said after the meeting.

He explained his was not an isolated incident. He cited the case of a girl, who attended Edmond schools but is now home schooled because of being taunted. He made his comments at the beginning of Monday’s meeting when 150 to 200 other students and school patrons were present because of pending recognition for National Merit Semi-Finalists and the Edmond North High School state championship cheer team.

After he spoke to the board, the room applauded. While being interviewed, two school patrons he didn’t know offered him free counseling, as well as free martial arts training.

“What I really want is for the school board and the administrators to do more about bullying,” he said.

Both Edmond Superintendent Bret Towne and Memorial Principal Tony Rose said they could not comment on the case.

Yet, Towne, after the meeting, admitted the overall issue was still under review.

“We know we have a ways to go,” he said. “We continue to look at the (bullying) policy.”

Towne further conceded cyberbullying had become a real problem in recent years.