Local therapist outlines bullying, cyber risks and prevention program to Griffith Public Schools

Jennifer Dujmovich, founder and executive director of Bullying Free Future, spoke to Griffith Public Schools about how bullying is defined, how it harms students and what parents and schools can do to prevent it. Dujmovich, an LCSW who has worked in intensive outpatient programs with adolescents, said the group’s work is offered free to local schools and includes classroom presentations, empathy-building curricula and small support groups.

Dujmovich opened by citing the Indiana Department of Education definition: bullying involves unwanted, repeated acts or gestures intended to harass, ridicule, humiliate or intimidate and can be verbal, physical, social or electronic. She emphasized that ‘repeated’ means incidents occurring across days or weeks, not a single classroom disagreement, and described the state’s hostile-school-environment criteria—reasonable fear of harm, substantial detriment to mental or physical health, or interference with learning.

She walked listeners through common types of bullying (physical aggression and property damage; verbal abuse, sexualized comments and taunting; social exclusion and rumor-spreading) and gave classroom examples. Dujmovich spent a substantial portion of the presentation on cyberbullying—posting humiliating photos, creating fake accounts, doxxing and targeted harassment—citing platform-level trends and enforcement metrics she referenced from recent platform reports and studies she described as 2024–2025-era research. She warned that games and apps with messaging functionality can act as entry points and described a pattern she and local officials have seen: initial contact on child-friendly platforms such as Roblox, followed by migration to Telegram or Discord where private messaging or coercion can occur.

Dujmovich summarized data on where bullying happens (classroom, hallways, cafeteria, playground, buses) and noted that state reports reflect only incidents reported to schools; underreporting and late reporting can make district numbers appear lower than lived experience. She also reviewed mental-health impacts—diagnosed anxiety and depression among teens, and elevated risk of suicidal ideation and self-harm among youth who are cyberbullied—and stressed that bystander intervention can halt episodes quickly.

Prevention and response recommendations included teaching empathy and impulse control, building restorative practices that require accountability and amends, promoting simple bystander phrases such as “Stop,” and using anonymous reporting tools. Dujmovich and district staff described local tools in use, including the StopIt anonymous reporting app, and said administrators and some resource officers monitor tips and can trigger counselor or law-enforcement follow-up.

During an extended Q&A, parents pressed on practical steps: keeping phones out of bedrooms at night, using parental controls and checking children’s devices, and how the district handles off-campus harassment. Dujmovich and district staff said schools will act when off-campus conduct can be tied to students and demonstrably harms the school learning environment, but policies vary by school and by age. Officials reiterated that families should preserve evidence (screenshots, messages), contact law enforcement when threats or criminal activity are present, and bring documentation to school administrators to prompt investigations.

Dujmovich closed by asking the community to prioritize kindness and bystander intervention and reiterated that her program will present to middle-school grades in the coming weeks; materials and resources are available at bullyingfreefuture.com.