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Michigan Observes National Bullying

Prevention Month This October

October 18, 2018

LANSING – This National Bullying Prevention Month is a reminder that while returning to school is an exciting time for many students, others can suffer levels of anxiety that affect their health, safety, and education as victims of bullying.

“As we mark National Bullying Prevention Month in Michigan, let’s use this time as an opportunity for everyone to unite for kindness, acceptance, and inclusion in our schools,” Interim State Superintendent Sheila Alles said today. “There is no place for bullying in our schools. Our children need safe, supportive environments to learn and develop into successful and thoughtful adults.

“Together, let’s make Michigan a bully-free zone on our way to becoming a Top 10 education state in 10 years!” Alles said.

Alles lauded National Bullying Prevention Month as a way to call attention to bully prevention. She said it’s important that educators, parents, and community members extend their prevention efforts throughout the year.

National Bullying Prevention Month, launched by PACER’s National Bullying Prevention Center in 2006, has become a global campaign supported by hundreds of schools, community members, major corporations, and celebrities.

Wearing orange on Unity Day, Wednesday, Oct. 24, 2018, is one way schools and communities in Michigan and across the country can send a unified message of hope and support for those who experience bullying.

Nationally, about one in every five students reports being bullied at school, and cyberbullying incidents have nearly doubled in the past decade.

In Michigan, almost one of every four high school students reported being bullied at school and almost one in five reported being bullied online, or cyberbullied, according to a confidential 2017 Youth Risk Behavior Survey, conducted every other year by the Michigan Department of Education (MDE) for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The table below summarizes the results to this question: “In the past 12 months, have you ever been bullied on school property?”

Looking for other ways to participate? PACER’s National Bullying Prevention Center, based in Minneapolis, MN, provides anti-bullying resources for students, parents, schools, and communities. Engagement begins with its three websites, all created to target a specific audience:

• https://www.pacer.org/bullying/ for parents and professionals
• https://pacerteensagainstbullying.org/for middle and high school students
• https://pacerkidsagainstbullying.org/ for elementary school students

These websites provide information about bullying at school, in communities and online, and support for those who experience bullying. The sites include classroom toolkits and activities, videos, personal stories, and statistics, as well as a pledge kids and teens can take to unite against bullying.

For more information about National Bullying Prevention Month and to learn how to become involved in this worldwide campaign, please call 952-838-9000 or visit https://www.pacer.org/bullying/ .