Feds, Organizations Share Resources to Curb Bullying and Keep Kids Safe

America's Promise Alliance

Hilary Strahota

November 4, 2010

Nearly 75 percent of Americans cite that bullying has become a serious problem in their local schools, according to research from the Public Agenda. As this problem grows with the ease of social networking sites, texting and other technologies, the U.S. Department of Education and several other organizations have ramped up anti-bullying initiatives and resources to keep kids safe.

The U.S. Department of Education sent letters to schools and colleges with advice on bullying and plans to conduct a White House summit next year to tackle the topic. With the message that tolerating bullying and failure to address ethnic, sexual or gender-based harassment could put them in violation of federal anti-discrimination laws, the Department aims to hold schools more accountable.

Public Agenda's research on bullying was conducted as part of the Princeton Survey Research International April 2010 omnibus where 1,001 adults were interviewed. Fewer than one in five high school teachers surveyed cited that their students are civil and respectful to each other. Further research indicates that the desire for safe schools has become a top concern among parents and the general public, especially with the understanding that orderly schools are fundamental to learning.

America’s Promise Alliance, the American Federation of Teachers, the National PTA and the American Association of School Administrators recently released a joint statement on bullying to mobilize Americans to take action last month.

Resources for parents, youth, schools and the public

There are also numerous community-based and national organizations focusing on furthering the public awareness on this issue. From helping people understand the signs of bullying to equipping them with resources to combat the behavior, the following organizations provide a number of resources for parents, youth, schools, teachers and the public.

For 20 years, the Gay Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN) has been working to assure that each member of every school community is valued and respected regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity/expression. The recent media attention surrounding the suicides of several youth who were known to be bullied because of their actual or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity has heightened awareness to GLSEN’s resources to stop the harassment.

An Alliance partner, the organization is encouraging people to become visible allies to LGBT youth by joining GLSEN's campaign to send a Safe Space Kit to every middle and high school in the nation. Just launched, the Safe Space Kit is a collection of resources for educators to create a positive learning environment for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender students. Another GLSEN call-to-action is for members of the community to contact their local school or school district to support their work to address anti-LGBT bullying. The Four Steps Schools Can Take to Address Anti-LGBT Bullying and Harassment provides specific tips to offer. Supporters can also call their senators and representatives to pass the Safe Schools Improvement Act (SSIA).

ReachOut.com enables teens and young adults to improve their understanding of mental health issues, develop resilience, build their coping-skills and increase help-seeking behavior. The organization, an Alliance partner, has uploaded new fact sheets to its website developed by youth on the role of bystanders in bullying, “sexting” and how to cope with cyber-bullying. ReachOut.com is also requesting stories from young people ages 14-24 who have overcome online or offline harassment. In addition, the organization has joined with the Jed Foundation and MTV as a partner in the “Love is Louder” campaign and as a partner in Do Something’s We <3 You campaign.

The U.S. Health Resources & Services Administration's anti-bullying site, Stop Bullying Now, has resources in English and Spanish for children and teens, and parents, teachers and other adults, including videos and advice for victims, witnesses and others on what kind of behavior is considered to be bullying and what can be done about it.

The Children's Health Education Center in Milwaukee has created an e-learning program to be used by schools to address bullying. It uses a game-based approach to show kids how their actions could be defined as bullying and the consequences of their choice of words and actions. The resource involves the staff and parents in addresses cyber-bullying and sexual harassment with students.