Metro

Cyberbullying in city schools soars 351% in just two years

Cyberbullying in city schools has soared by 351 percent in just two years — with reports of fat-shaming and harassment over race, gender and sexual orientation leading the way, a Post analysis has found.

There was a total of 804 reported incidents in the 2015-16 school year, compared to 686 the prior year and 178 in 2013-14, the year the state Department of Education began collecting data.

“These kids are glued to social media now,” said a teacher at Boys and Girls HS in Brooklyn.

“I’m willing to bet that these are just a fraction of what’s actually taking place. You can get cyberbullied for reporting cyberbullying, and most kids don’t want to make things worse.”

Under the Dignity for All Students Act, schools are now required to report cyberbullying incidents to state officials, who broke down the online-harassment by category.

During the last school year, 46 reports of cyberbullying involved students being harassed about their sexual orientation, 35 involved fat-shaming and another 25 pertained to racially-motivated posts.

The majority were classified as “unspecified.”

The Department of Education would not say how many cases get referred to the NYPD — and how many resulted in suspensions.

A 17-year-old student at elite Brooklyn Technical HS — which reported the second-highest number of cyberbullying incidents in the 2015-16 school year, behind only Edward R. Murrow HS — recalled how one her gay peers was outed to his parents online.

“These kids added a gay kid to a group chat and then added his parents in a Facebook chat, to expose him as being gay to his parents,” she explained.

“His parents didn’t know he was gay. He was hurt. He wasn’t ready to tell his parents.”

She said the bullying student was suspended and kicked off the basketball team at Brooklyn Tech, which reported 12 incidents of cyberbullying last school year.

Some sources said the spike in incidents is the result of schools’ increased vigilance.

“There is greater attention to the issue that has likely produced greater reporting,” said Professor David Bloomfield of the CUNY Graduate Center.

Edward R. Murrow HS in, Midwood, had the most incidents of any public school in 2015-16, reporting 13 cases.

The problem also extends to charters, which saw an increase from 102 reported incidents in 2013-14 to 135 in 2015-16, the data show.

State Education Department spokesman Jonathan Burman said school staffers have “become more aware of cyberbullying.”

“Many have been trained to investigate and report the use of electronic devices to bully and harass others,” he said.

DOE spokeswoman Toya Holness said there are “explicit protocols and robust training programs in place” to combat the problem.

“We’ve added hundreds more guidance counselors and preventative resources for students and staff, and we’ll continue to ensure supportive and inclusive learning environments across all schools.”

Additional reporting by Priscilla DeGregory and Jennifer Bain