Outrage After Adults Bully Spotsylvania County Students Online

A Spotsylvania County School Board member wants an investigation into adults cyberbullying students on social media.

A passionate outcry from the community led to a lengthy discussion about the issue at a school board meeting Monday night.

In a community Facebook page, a video was posted showing Spotsylvania students protesting Gov. Glenn Youngkin's rollback of transgender student rights. Commenters lashed their vitriol at the students, one suggesting parents should get their belts out and another claiming the students in the video will become broke, homeless and drug addicted.

“I don't care what the protest is about; I don't care if I agree with it or not,” one parent said. “Grown people should know better than to speak about children this way. It's disgusting."

"It's the same parents that get up here and talk about, 'There's bad words in our books,’ but we're gonna go bash some little kid's name all over Facebook?'"

In his policy, Youngkin specifically states the Department of Education must create standards for the "prevention of and response to bullying and harassment."

The Department of Education doesn't watch over adults on social media, and one Spotsylvania board member said the board shouldn't, either.

"Meanwhile, the people with real problems, real life situations that are going on sometimes aren't even saying anything," board member April Gillespie said.

Controversy and bickering board members have been frequent themes of school board meetings in Spotsylvania County, and one board member suggested that set a bad example for the community.

"You can't expect anything better from the community when we can't get our act together," board member Rabih Abuismail said.

The board voted unanimously to denounce the recent cyberbullying and plans a formal proclamation next month.