About this Project:

Bullying is no longer confined to the classroom and the playground. At Maryland schools, "cyberbullies" are increasingly using computers and mobile phones to torment students, using popular social networks like Facebook and Twitter. Capital News Service investigates how anti-bullying advocates are leading their own online campaign against cyberbulling.

Resources on Cyberbullying:

Cyberbullying in Maryland Schools

Howard County school administrators have spent the last decade training teachers and students to identify and report cases of bullying, and some education officials consider the county to be a state leader in bullying prevention.

But the suicide death of Grace McComas, a 15-year-old high school student from Glenelg, has raised questions about the effectiveness of the county's bullying prevention efforts.

Remembering Grace

In April, Howard County student Grace McComas, committed suicide after documented cases of cyberbullying from her peers. After her death, the same social networks used to bully her turned into outlets of support.

A viral campaign, #blue4grace, spread to sites like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Tumblr and YouTube. The campaign was named after Grace's favorite color.

The First Lady Speaks Out

Maryland First Lady Katie O'Malley has often spoken out against bullying and cyberbullying in Maryland schools. In the weeks after Grace McComas' death, she met with the McComas family and spoke at anti-bullying rally in Howard County in May.

She encouraged students to be "brave soldiers" against bullies and to stand up for victims of the attacks. O'Malley spoke at-length to CNS about bullying in schools.

The South River Insults Page

At South River High School in Edgewater, numerous students were bashing their classmates’ appearances, intelligence, sexuality and more.

Unlike their counterparts of the past, who affronted victims face-to-face, these bullies were masked, tearing down fellow students from behind a keyboard. The abusers remained unidentified, targeting victims with anonymous posts on a Facebook page.

Reporting by: Tim Ebner and Lizzy McLellan / Production by: Tim Ebner / Capital News Service © 2012