In The News

New data indicate the first significant decrease in school-based bullying since the federal government began collecting that data in 2005, suggesting that efforts at the federal, state and local levels to prevent bullying may be paying off. According to new data from the U.S. Department of Education’s National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), the reported prevalence of bullying among students ages 12 to 18 dropped to 22 percent after remaining stubbornly around 28 percent for the past decade.

“As schools become safer, students are better able to thrive academically and socially,” U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan said. “The Department, along with our federal partners and others, has been deeply involved in the fight against bullying in our nation’s schools. Even though we’ve come a long way over the past few years in educating the public about the health and educational impacts that bullying can have on students, we still have more work to do to ensure the safety of our nation’s children.” Learn more.

Sticks and stones may break your bones, but words will never hurt you – right? Wrong! There are many misconceptions when it comes to bullying and PACER’s National Bullying Prevention Center is seeking to shed light on them through its Did You Know? webpages on KidsAgainstBullying.com and TeensAgainstBullying.com. Each page features interesting facts about bullying that you may have never heard before, plus ideas about how to prevent bullying in your school or community.

Nominate Someone Who Has Helped Create Kinder, More Accepting and Inclusive Communities

Bullying is an issue that no one should ever have to endure. Fortunately, there are people who care and take action to make our communities, schools and the web kinder,

At PACER’s National Bullying Prevention Center Unity Awards, individuals and groups who have gone above and beyond to help address bullying will be honored. Students, parents, educators and community are invited and encouraged to get involved by submiting nominations to recognize those who have made outstanding contributions to help others. It might be for a well-known story of a person (or group) who made a difference on a national scale, or it might be for someone who simply made you feel like you’re not alone.

Submit a Nomination!

Nominations are being accepted through April 30, 2015 for four awards:

• The “United Against Bullying” Award

Awarded for taking action to prevent and change an attitude or behavior that physically or emotionally hurts, harms, or humiliates someone.

• The “United for Kindness” Award

Awarded for demonstrating outstanding act(s) of being helpful to others.

• The “United for Acceptance” Award

Awarded for looking beyond the differences of others and celebrating what makes each person unique.

• The “United for Inclusion” Award

Awarded for outstanding acts to help others feel like they belong and know that they aren’t alone.

The nomination process will be followed by public voting which will determine the recipient(s) of each award.

Submit a Nomination

This past October, Michael and Marisa, two inspirational spokespersons for PACER’s National Bullying Prevention Center, hosted the “Your Story is Powerful” event to give teens across the country an opportunity to share their personal experiences with bullying. We received many entries and thank everyone who participated! Josh, who is 14 years old, was randomly selected to receive the MacBook Air. Here is Josh’s story about bullying:

* * *

“It all happened one day at recess in 3rd grade. I was on the swings pumping my legs back and forth in a rhythmic pattern, when suddenly the rhythmic pattern came to a halt and my life was never the same. Two girls, who appeared to be in 2nd grade, came up to the swings and started calling me ‘handicapped.’ Then they proceeded to tease me and sing in a tuneful, but tasteless song; ‘handicap, handicap, handicap.’ I knew that I shouldn’t let this incident go unnoticed, because, after all, they were bullying me. My friend, who was sitting next to me at the time, told me to a) ignore them and b) tell a supervisor. So we went to seek the assistance of a supervisor and told her what happened. She then came with us to the scene of the incident and punished the two girls by sending them inside.

For those of you who think that I was being a tattletale, I wasn’t. From that point on, I knew that I would be a strong advocate for people with disabilities. Now I am involved in my community by spreading the word around to end the “R-word” even if it is just fellow classmates I am spreading the word to. My hope is that my friends will tell their friends and eventually start a chain reaction, showing that one person can make a difference in their community. This is also an example of actions speak louder than words, because even though words can hurt, we as humans can overcome them and take a stand. This incident has helped to shape the person that I am today, and my message toward my other friends and peers to be more inclusive and advocate for what they believe and value.”

* * *

Again, thank you to Michael and Marisa for hosting this event and for their continued support of PACER’s National Bullying Prevention Center. With events like “Your Story is Powerful,” students can continue to raise awareness about the importance of bullying prevention.

On a misson to end bullying! The Great American NO BULL Challenge is now accepting video entries created by youth!

A social action organization, NO BULL Challenge inspires teens and young men and women (ages 13 to 23) from around the world to take a stand against bullying and to promote digital responsibility, leadership, and social action through filmmaking and social media. NO BULL Challenge provides state-of-the-art digital platform as well as the motivation to develop powerful short films, public service announcements and vines that spark dialogue about bullying. For more information on how to enter the challenge and be a change maker reaching millions, visit: nobullchallenge.org.

Challenge deadline: February 15, 2015

Before Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and his luminous red nose saved the holidays, he was teased for being a little different from his peers – an issue that we all know still exists today.

In celebration of the 50th anniversary of Rudolph on TV, PACER’s National Bullying Prevention Center is offering a special, limited edition ShineBright t-shirt that will help you spread the message that when we embrace each other’s differences and respect the unique traits that make each of us ‘shine bright,’ the world will become a brighter place. A portion of the sale of each shirt will be donated to PACER’s National Bullying Prevention Center.

T-shirt sales end on Dec. 9.

Order your shirt today!

Visit PACER.org for additional resources you can use to talk with your kids about celebrating differences.

By Tammy L. Lane, Special to KyForward

At Liberty Elementary in Lexington, Ky., students participated in a variety of activities for National Bullying Prevention Month in October and Unity Day on Oct. 22. Throughout the month, students pasted compliments on an “Anti-Bullying Wall of Kindness,” a huge 6-paneled display in the school’s main foyer. Additionally, classes created visual art for large windows, teachers led themed lessons on bullying prevention, and students wore orange on Unity Day.

Binding it all together was the book “The Legend of Spookley the Square Pumpkin,” which each student read or heard. Using PACER’s Spookley Digital Teacher Toolkit, the school created a Spookley Storybook Trail in the gym that featured nine stations where students reviewed an excerpt from the book and learned about citizenship, understanding, responsibility, self-esteem, self-discipline, loyalty, justice, compassion and respect.

Read more

In support of Unity Day, and in partnership with Babble.com, PACER is working with the experts at Twigtale to create a customizable book to prevent bullying. The book helps young children understand how to be a good friend and how to assert oneself when not being treated respectfully. A leading child development expert scripted the easy-to-use template, available on Twigtale.com. You simply add photos and details to create the book personalized to your child. A portion of proceeds will be donated to PACER!

Use Code: PACER15% — for 15% off the book

On Unity Day, Oct. 22, Disney’s Playlist blog encouraged followers to join their favorite Disney stars in standing up against bullying. Disney Channel and Radio Disney stars created videos sharing their experiences with bullies, including Ross Lynch, Maia Mitchell, Sabrina Carpenter, and songwriting brothers Kyle and Kade.

Learn more

The New City School in St. Louis, Mo., teamed up with St. Louis Arc Community Integration Services to learn and perform a flash mob on the playground, raising awareness for Unity Day, on Oct. 22. The students had a great time sending an orange message of support against bullying.

Learn more