Children's Safety Network

Dear Colleague,

Bullying is increasingly recognized by public health and safety professionals as a serious issue affecting the well-being of children and young adults. Schools understand the importance of addressing this problem: a recent survey showed that 95% of school districts in the US have anti-bullying policies.[1] We want to tell you about several excellent resources to help you work with your partners in education and other sectors to protect young people from bullying.

The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), with over 80 partners, developed the Stop Bullying Now! Campaign Web site (www.stopbullyingnow.hrsa.gov). This comprehensive Web site has resources for children, parents, professionals and other interested adults. It includes information on the scope and nature of bullying and provides examples of how professionals and communities have responded to bullying and are working to prevent it. In addition, the Stop Bullying Now! Campaign will be hosting a free web cast in April 2008 to highlight ways the Campaign is being used in local communities; we will keep you informed about this as it gets closer.

The Children’s Safety Network (CSN) – funded by HRSA’s Maternal and Child Health Bureau – has several resources to assist state and territorial health departments in their efforts to prevent bullying. Included in this packet are:

Bullying Prevention: Examples of Health Department Activities. This document describes – in the words of agency staff – the activities undertaken by 16 state and one territorial health departments to prevent bullying. Although each state and territory is unique, we hope that these examples will provide the ideas and motivation you need to help you address this important issue.  As a companion document, you’ll find the At-a-Glance Summary of Health Department Responses.

Preventing Bullying: The Role of Public Health and Safety Professionals. This fact sheet was developed specifically for public health and safety practitioners such as yourselves. It describes the problem of bullying, suggests many ways you as a public health professional can take action on preventing bullying, highlights state laws on bullying prevention, and explains how the Stop Bullying Now! Web site and other resources can assist you in preventing bullying in your state. 

States with Bullying Prevention Legislation. The map indicates the 33 states which currently have bullying prevention laws. Contact CSN for details about the law in your state.

Sample Bullying State Performance Measures. Adding a bullying-related performance measure is a good way to address an important issue that affects children’s health and well-being. We have attached two examples – Maine’s current state performance measure on bullying and another developed by CSN, based on Maine’s example. We look forward to helping you develop one for your state.

Each effort on this important topic has the potential to prevent the suffering that so many children unnecessarily experience. CSN can give you information about initiatives in your state or territory and is eager to provide individualized assistance as you work to prevent bullying.

Sincerely,

Erica Streit-Kaplan, MPH, MSW
Bullying Prevention Topic Specialist, Children's Safety Network
Education Development Center
55 Chapel Street
Newton, MA 02458-1060
P: 617-618-2178
E: estreit-kaplan@edc.org

[1] Jones SE, Fisher CJ, Greene BZ, Hertz MF, Pritzl J. Healthy and safe school environment, part I: results from the School Health Policies and Programs Study 2006. Journal of School Health. 2007; 77: 522-543. http://www.ashaweb.org/pdfs/josh77.8jonesp.522.pdf