As reported in the media, bullying is an ever increasing problem with sometimes lethal consequences. The Bullying Prevention and Intervention Act of 2011 (H.R. 83) seeks to address this pressing social problem. The Act will “…amend the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to require the Attorney General to establish guidelines to prevent and address occurrences of bullying, …provide for grant funding to states for programs to prevent and address occurrences of bullying, and … reauthorize the Juvenile Accountability Block grants program.” The legislation could be an important new tool to empower the community to prevent bullying.
The Bullying Prevention and Intervention Act of 2011 (H.R. 83) was introduced on January 5, 2011. The sponsor of the Bullying Prevention and Intervention Act of 2011 is Representative Sheila Jackson-Lee (D-Texas18) and there are twenty-six (26) cosponsors for this piece of legislation.
In recognition of the growing prevalence of bullying, the Obama administration has also taken important measures to combat and prevent bullying. This administration is directing resources for the express purpose of reducing bullying incidents and to raising awareness around its ramifications, and, of course, to countering its negative impact. Toward that end, the White House convened a conference on preventing bullying, on Thursday, March 11, 2011. The Obama administration also announced the launch of a new website, www.stopbullying.gov, devoted to bullying prevention.
The Stop Bullying website provides information from various government agencies on how kids, teens, young adults, parents, educators, and others in the community can prevent or stop bullying. The website also provides information on bullying prevention and intervention measures. Topics on the website include but are not limited to: state policies and laws; violence prevention program directories; available online resources; and research. The website provides bullying prevention information for varied audiences such as victims, bystanders, parents, teachers, administrators, and others.
For information on bullying, there are several other websites you can visit including but not limited to: www.ryanpatrickhalligan.org; www.meganmeirfoundation.org; ww.fightcrime.org; www.bullypolice.org; www.healthline.com; www.cyberbullying.us; www.stopbullying.org; www.isafe.org; and others.
Source(s): www.govtrack.us. www.whitehouse.gov; www.hhs.gov; ww.stopbullying.gov; Cyber Research Center; Stop Bullying, Inc.; and i-Safe, Inc.
Photo credit: Microsoft Clip Art
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