Software developer hopes MyPal app can help schools and kids tackle bullying
By Jermont Terry
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CHICAGO (WBBM) — October is Bullying Prevention Month, and an app designer from the Chicago area is hoping to help both schools and kids.
Whether on the receiving or giving end, bullying is a topic that students at Southwood Middle School in Country Club Hills are trying to tackle
Country Club Hills School District 160 Supt. Denise Julius wants to make sure the halls in all her schools are safe, and she said that starts with addressing bullying.
Julius was pleased to see youngsters attending the 2nd annual “Think Safe” seminar after school on Thursday, addressing bullying.
“It is a reality … not just in schools, it’s everywhere,” Julius said.
Shagmond Lowery created a safety app, MyPal Schools, for students and administrators to stay connected about potential problems.
“The Pal stands for ‘personal alert levels.’ It allows students to go ahead and report situations of bullying, cyberbullying, personal crisis, fighting, and school threats instantly to school administrators,” Lowery said.
A teacher at the time, he created the app and website in 2019, when he learned about a threat in his own class only after the fact.
“A student, she was winking, blinking, and after class she was like, ‘Mr. Lowery, Johnny has a firearm,'” he said.
The student was later caught with a gun, but it was at that moment Lowery knew there was a better way for students to alert school leaders of threats, including bullying, which often leads to violence.
The Chicago area native comes into schools, providing in-depth presentations across the country.
“Currently, we have 179 schools across seven states,” Lowery said.
Country Club Hills is one district using the MyPal website.
“This is a joint effort we need to have to make a difference in this bullying to combat this situation,” he said.
A situation which can be reduced with proper awareness and tools.
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