The New Jersey anti-bullying law passed after the suicide death of Tyler Clementi went into effect this week and is "considered the toughest legislation against bullying in the nation," the New York Times reports. This is good news for New Jersey parents of targeted students who have found schools unresponsive but apparently tough news for schools. School officials worry that the legal requirement … [Read more...] about New state anti-bullying law challenges schools
bullying
When adults bully our kids
Just because bullying of children by children is in the news a lot doesn't mean it's new, growing, or done only by children. But it remains a problem – a very serious one for some children (see this ) – and "we will never address the bullying problem between our students if we don’t address it among ourselves," writes educator Rosalind Wiseman, author of Queen Bees and Wannabes in her blog. I … [Read more...] about When adults bully our kids
Takeaways from the bullying-prevention summit
It's highly likely that prevention of online and offline bullying took a major leap forward in the US today, thanks to the bright spotlight a White House event trained on this issue: the Bullying Prevention Summit. But even more important than massive awareness raising is the basing of all that attention on substantive, research-based messaging. It is truly heartening to watch a President, First … [Read more...] about Takeaways from the bullying-prevention summit
Bullying-prevention summit at the White House
President and Mrs. Obama are holding a bullying prevention summit at the White House tomorrow (March 10), and you are invited. Here's their video invitation to watch live (links to the live stream tomorrow at the bottom of this post). The President's schedule in WhiteHouse.gov says that he and the First Lady will deliver opening remarks at 10:35 ET. The White House says it will have "live video … [Read more...] about Bullying-prevention summit at the White House
Addendum: Wisdom from a school counselor
After watching Brene Brown's talk, my friend Patti Agatston, a counselor with a school district in the Atlanta area and co-author of Cyber Bullying: Bullying in the Digital Age, added some helpful background: "I loved the talk as well. [Brown] alluded to my favorite quote from the psychologist Rudolph Dreikurs, "Have the courage to be imperfect." He studied under the psychologist Alfred Adler … [Read more...] about Addendum: Wisdom from a school counselor