SAN ANTONIO – The University of the Incarnate Word's (UIW) Brainpower high schools plan to stop and prevent bullying by equipping its students with a new anti-bullying app.
"We were specifically chosen to pilot this program because of our zero tolerance for bullying in our schools," said Dan Ochoa, UIW dean of preparatory programs.
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Students at Incarnate Word and St. Anthony Catholic high schools will be among the first to use the StopBullies application.
"We're sure the feedback from our students will be instrumental in further developing this tool which ultimately may result in fewer incidents of bullying in schools," Incarnate Word High School Principal BJ Nelsen said.
Provided by Appdiction Studio, the StopBullies app is designed for smartphones. It allows students to instantly report bullying incidents by sending photos, video, or text messages.
The app was created by Timothy M. Porter. Porter earned both a bachelor's degree and a master's degree from the University of the Incarnate Word and has worked as a technology instructor at UIW since 2009.
Students will also receive educational bullying resources embedded in the app that will be customized to UIW Brainpower high schools.
According to the website stompoutbullying.org, a child is bullied every seven minutes, and one out of every four children is bullied.