Bullying Prevention Awareness Week

National Bullying Prevention Awareness Week is Oct. 21 – 27, 2007. It is sponsored by PACER Center’s National Center for Bullying Prevention and cosponsored by the American Federation for Teachers, National Coalition for Parent Involvement in Education, National Education Association, National PTA, and School Social Work Association of America.

Statistics show that 160,000 children in the United States miss school each day as a result of being bullied.

--Paula F. Goldberg, Executive Director of PACER

In 2006 PACER also created a website entitled "Kids Against Bullying." Per their website, Kids Against Bullying "was created for elementary school children, with a unique emphasis on children with disabilities. This Web site is an informative and creative resource to educate students about bullying prevention and provide methods to respond to bullying situations. The site features an animated cast of characters, information, celebrity videos, Webisodes, interactive games, animation, contests, and other activities. Parents and professionals will find helpful tips, intervention strategies, and resources for use at home or school." This is a wonderful tool for any child. If he/she are being bullied, it provides ways for them to cope with it. It is also a wonderful resource to share with your child to prevent them from becoming a bully. There is also a "parents & professionals" section that is full of information. This section goes into more detail about Bullying Prevention Week. You can also find out how to:

• Enter their poster contest
• Download a free color poster to help spread the word about Bullying Prevention Week
• For older kids, find out how to enter PACER's video contest
• View the toolkit for elementary school age children
• View informational handouts regarding bullying prevention

While the PACER Center is located in Minnesota, they do service those in need nationwide. To find the parent center nearest you, visit TTAlliance.org.

For more information regarding bullying you may want to visit these sites as well:

• Stop Bullying Now
• Schwab Learning
• Safe Youth (bullying statistics)

And, if you're interested in books about the subject, here are a few to check out:

• Too Smart for Bullies
• How To Handle Bullies, Teasers And Other Meanies
• Stick Up for Yourself!
• Bullies Are a Pain in the Brain

Lastly, you can read two previous posts that I have written on the subject of bullying.