In the most recent edition of the Globe in an article on bullying the following quotes were attributed to Dr. Dan Gutchewsky.  These quotes were fabricated: 

CHS Principal Dan Gutchewsky thinks there is not. “The reason bullying cannot be eradicated is because it is based on an idea,” Gutchewsky said. “It is based on the idea that you are better than someone and thus have the right to harass them. This doesn’t just pertain to high schools either. As long as human nature exists, bullying is a problem that will never go away.”

Gutchewsky believes that there are multiple factors involved. “In high school, you have many teenagers that are in a phase where they are prone to making bad decisions,” he said. “Immaturity is one of the biggest factors behind bullying. Another factor could be background. Sometimes, if someone has been a bully victim, they might want to take their anger out by becoming a bully themselves.”

His actual quotes are as follows: 

I believe that we have an obligation to ensure that students feel safe at school.  One way to promote a feeling of safety at school is to have policies against bullying and to enforce those policies when appropriate.  We also need to educate students and the larger community about the dangers of bullying and enlist their support in combating this problem.  Unfortunately, some bullying goes on outside of school, and then it is imperative that we enlist the help of parents and police to make sure that we respond to bullying, as a community, wherever it occurs.

I think that bullying occurs for a variety of reasons. This behavior frequently stems from a feeling of insecurity in the bully, and the bully may feel a sense of power or control over their victims.

I think bullying is a problem to some extent in every school and we have an obligation to combat it.  We have policies against bullying that we consistently enforce, and all staff have received training in the identification and reporting of bullying behavior.  Our counseling staff is currently working on the implementation of an anti-bullying program for students.  This program will include training on the identification of bullying as well as education on the “power of the witness” in combating bullying.

* We will also print a retraction in the next issue of the Globe. Because of the strong belief we have in our work for the Globe and because we deeply value the integrity of the publication, we have dismissed the reporter from the Globe staff.