St. Clair County Circuit Judge Heinz Rudolf visited Fulton Junior High School students in O’Fallon to hold court against cyberbullying on May 4.
“I have seen the devastating results that can occur as a result of one bad decision of a young person,” Rudolf stated. “If we can get them to think, ‘Wow, that actually could happen to me … then we have made a slight dent in how they may approach social media in the future.”
The event was held as part of a St. Clair County-wide effort to educate students about the serious consequences of cyberbullying, distributing pornographic material, consuming substances underage, and more.
Rudolf has presented to hundreds of student groups over the past year about making good choices in order to avoid appearing in his court.
During his presentation at Fulton Junior High School, he discussed “The Worries of the WWW” to more than 600 students, followed by a question and answer session.
“It was our pleasure to have Judge Rudolf speak to our students today, and I have no doubt they walked away with a lot of great information on which to reflect,” said Principal Alexander Harrell. “Each year, more and more younger students are getting smart phones with internet and social media access, but many are not aware or prepared for the dangers that come along with it. Hearing Judge Rudolf's direct perspective and expertise was so important for our kids, and I hope all adolescents in our area get the opportunity to hear his presentation and be encouraged to be smarter and safer with their internet use."
Rudolf is a member of the Illinois Judges Association, which encourages judges across the state to visit schools to discuss topics such as cyberbullying, "7 reasons to leave a party," and the power of reading and getting a good education.
According to the Illinois Department of Human Services Youth Survey, 31 percent of Illinois 10th graders and 23 percent of Illinois 12th graders reported some type of bullying.