Madison Fields a victim of cyberbullying returns to class, 2 weeks after school year began

BLANCHESTER, Ohio — A local teen is facing her fears and returning to school after being a victim of cyber bullying .

Two weeks after classes began in Blanchester for most students, Friday was 13-year-old Madison Fields first day, and it was a pretty good day, but for a reason one might not expect.

When WCPO spoke with Madison last week , she was still quite worried after police informed her some cheerleaders had made comments to the affect of wanting to kill her, along with other hateful comments on social media.

This week, Blanchester Local Schools announced that bullying had occurred, and that they would follow their policy.

That meant some students now face suspension.

But that’s not what put Madison at ease.

It was the school’s social worker, who had trained her black labrador, Odin, to be a therapy dog, who had the dog tag along with Madison throughout the school day.

“It was great because the kids wanted to pet the dog, and they didn’t ask me about the bigger problem,” Madison said. “Whenever I would feel nervous, Odin would comfort me.”

Madison did say she had some nervous moments, though, as some kids did take sides.

“Some of the girls, they told some kids they couldn’t be friends with them if they were friends with me” she said. “That made some kids cry.”

Madison’s counselor promised to address the issue, which the teen sees as a victory. “I feel like they’re taking going to take bullying more seriously now,” she said. “They’re not just going to sweep it under the rug. They’re going to do something about it.”