No One Should Have to Fear Going to School

Thousands of kids across the country are afraid to go to school because of a bully. In honor of National Bullying Prevention Month, I’d like to share some exceptional online resources for educating your family about the serious impacts of bullying. Even if you are fortunate enough to never have experienced or witnessed a bullying incident, it’s never too late to help your children take a stand against the destructive forces of bullying.

One extremely talented and previously bullied student who now attends Connections Academy, Gabbie Rae, feels so strongly about ending bullying that she is using her amazing voice and music video to help spread awareness. As you talk to your kids about this important topic, you can start the conversation off with this catchy tune and its powerful message:

Having trouble seeing? Try going directly to YouTube.

Below are some helpful resources for educating kids of all ages about recognizing and preventing bullying:

• StopBullying.gov: provides helpful information from various government agencies on how kids, teens, young adults, parents, educators, and others in the community can prevent or stop bullying. You can learn what bullying is, how to recognize the signs of it, and how to get help.
• Girl Wars: provides information about relational aggression and suggests different ways to stop female bullying. You can read case studies, watch role-play scenarios, and help your child develop strategies for ending relational aggression and pursuing positive relationships with peers.
• Defeat the Label: a collection of social advocacy tools to help you take a stand and put a stop to bullying in your environment.
• Teen Line: operated by teens, for teens, this website promotes a confidential telephone helpline that runs every evening from 6:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. PST. If you have a bullying problem or just want to talk with another teen who understands, this is a great resource.
• PACER National Bullying Prevention Center: you can use these unique digital resources that address bullying in creative, relevant, and interactive ways to engage with and educate others about the impact of bullying:
  • Free creative activities: for K-12 students, to raise awareness of and understanding about how to respond to bullying.
  • PACER Center’s Kids against Bullying: this website is made just for kids and explains bullying in ways that younger children can understand. It also provides activities and resources to teach them how to appropriately respond to it.
• Cartoon Network’s “Stop Bullying Speak Up”: compiles video clips, pictures, tip sheets, and polls related to bullying. Network actors speak up about bullying issues and talk about the benefits of taking appropriate action in these situations
• Education.com – Bullying at School and Online: an extensive collection of resources for children, parents, and teachers about how to identify bullying, spread the word about its negative consequences, and work together to stop its effects.

It’s never too early to start talking about bullying, and it’s incredibly important to give kids the resources they need to take a stand. So go ahead and start the discussion today. Help your children learn that it’s never okay to hurt people’s feelings. As Gabbie Rae says, “Bullying is so out of style!”