From Seattletimes · · 1m 10s
High Schools Investigate Cyberbullying Before Rivalry Game
Eastside Catholic and O’Dea high schools investigate social media attacks targeting a student with Down syndrome ahead of Friday’s football game.
In brief
Eastside Catholic and O’Dea high schools investigate social media attacks targeting a student with Down syndrome ahead of Friday’s football game. Eastside Catholic and O’Dea high schools are investigating cyberbullying attacks made before their rivalry game that targeted a student with Down syndrome. Originally…
Social Media Attacks Target Student
Eastside Catholic and O’Dea high schools investigate social media posts made last week targeting a student with Down syndrome.
Student Athlete Targeted
Diego Gardner-Garcia, 19, graduated from Eastside Catholic’s Options Program last year and was a popular student-athlete.
AI Images Taunted Student
An O’Dea account used AI images of Diego Gardner-Garcia to generate posts mocking and threatening him.
Schools Investigate Accounts
School administrators are investigating social media accounts not managed by students to determine who made the posts.
Harassment Complaints Filed
The Washington Interscholastic Activities Association received three harassment complaints from Eastside students about the posts.
Schools Issue Joint Statement
Both schools issued a joint statement saying they are working to uphold student respect and well-being.
Posts Removed After Investigation
Homophobic posts using O’Dea football players’ faces were removed as of Saturday after schools reported the accounts to Instagram.
What matters most
Eastside Catholic and O’Dea high schools are investigating cyberbullying attacks made before their rivalry game that targeted a student with Down syndrome.
