Drew McGowan always had been a good student.
When his grades took a dive, his mother, Christine, knew something was wrong.
Just before going into a parent-teacher conference about his poor grades, Drew, 14, an eighth-grader at Word of God School in Swissvale, told his mother the problem.
McGowan, of Wilkinsburg, says her son is the victim of "cyberbullies" who put up a phony profile of the youngster on MySpace.com with repeated indications that he is homosexual. McGowan said the site was constructed by classmates of her son's who also have physically bullied him.
"I was sick to my stomach when I read it," Christine McGowan said Thursday.
Yesterday, Word of God secretary Cecelia Madigan said that because the Web page was not set up while the students were at school, it is "not a school issue." Madigan also said the school is not aware of Drew being the victim of physical bullying.
Madigan referred questions to Robert L. Paserba, superintendent of schools for the Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh, who could not be reached for comment yesterday.
The MySpace profile was posted in early December, Christine McGowan said. Her son discovered the posting in March after classmates began teasing him about its contents.
"He was so humiliated that he didn't tell me," Christine McGowan said. "He tried to figure out the password to take it down."
McGowan said that MySpace removed the profile per her request after she filed a report with Swissvale police.
Swissvale assistant police Chief Greg Geppert said yesterday that one juvenile has been identified as having posted the profile. Geppert said the juvenile, whom he did not identify, will be cited for harassment.
McGowan also notified other parents about the incident.
"I hope other parents join in the complaint," she said.
Christine McGowan said even though the incident did not occur at school, she would like to see those responsible disciplined.
"I know the school cannot handle every problem," she said. "But in the Catholic environment, (the school) expects more socially and morally from students."
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