To: President Donald Trump, The Kentucky State House, The Kentucky State Senate, Governor Matt Bevin, The United States House of Representatives, and The United States Senate
Please STOMP Out Bullying and Cyberbullying
Greetings,
Bullying is a problem that affects millions of students of all races and classes. 1 out of 4 kids is bullied and 42% of kids have been bullied while online. Child and teen Bullying and Cyberbullying are at an all-time high. Some kids are so tormented that suicide has become an alternative for them. It has everyone worried. Not just the kids on its receiving end, but the parents and others who may not understand how extreme bullying can get.
Bullying and Cyberbullying continue to harm kids physically, emotionally and the worst -- it continues to take lives.
Just ask the family and friends of Jamie Rodemeyer, Kameron Jacobsen, Amanda Diane Cummings, Alexis Pilkington (New York),Tyler Clementi (New Jersey), Asher Brown (Texas), Scott Walz (Illinois), Christian Taylor (Virginia), Suade Cooley, Phoebe Prince, and Carl Joseph Walker-Hoover (Massachusetts), Matt Epling and Alex Harrison (Michigan), Jesse Logan (Ohio), Justin Aaberg (Minnesota), Celina Okwuone and Hope Witsell (Florida), Megan Meier (Missouri), Ryan Halligan (Vermont) and ALL of the others who took their lives because they were tormented on a daily basis.
They might be here today if their schools had listened – if their schools took action and a stand against all forms of bullying -- including cyberbullying. They might be here today if the country had standardized legislation mandating schools to not only enforce a "No Tolerance" policy against bullying and cyberbullying -- but get involved and help the students -- rather than sweeping it under the rug.
New Jersey and Massachusetts passed landmark legislation which requires schools to institute anti-bullying curriculum, investigate acts of bullying and report the most serious cases to law enforcement officers. New Jersey passed the toughest anti-bullying legislation in the country.
Yet, all the legislation in the world won't matter if our schools ignore this epidemic, as the majority of America's schools are sweeping this issue under the rug. They take no responsibility in keeping our children safe.
We ask you to pass strict, unified and national legislation throughout the country mandating that our schools help and protect our children, and enforce 'no tolerance' policies and anti-bullying legislation (including cyberbullying) so that our children can be safe in school and online.
We ask that every school across the country have at least one trained person in bullying prevention who a student can go to at any time if they are being harassed or feel they are in danger and get immediate assistance.
The cost of bullying and cyberbullying to our society is great and so are its effects. If we don't STOMP Out all forms of bullying now, we will lose more children to suicide, create a society of kids with post traumatic syndrome, and kids so full of hatred and violence that they grow up to be workplace bullies, and worse -- with even a greater cost to business and society.
Please help to STOMP Out Bullying and Cyberbullying!
Sincerely,
Why is this important?
Over 13 million American kids will be bullied this year, making it the most common form of violence against children.
Bullying Statistics:
• 1 out of 4 kids is Bullied.
• 1 out of 5 kids admits to being a bully, or doing some "Bullying."
• 160,000 students stay home from school every day for fear of harassment and bullying
• 9 out of 10 LGBT students experienced harassment at school
• 43% fear harassment in the bathroom at school.
• A poll of teens ages 12-17 proved that they think violence increased at their schools.
• 282,000 students are physically attacked in secondary schools each month.
• More youth violence occurs on school grounds as opposed to on the way to school.
• 80% of the time, an argument with a bully will end up in a physical fight.
• 1/3 of students surveyed said they heard another student threaten to kill someone.
• 2 out of 3 say they know how to make a bomb, or know where to get the information to do it.
• Playground statistics - Every 7 minutes a child is bullied. Adult intervention -4% Peer intervention - 11%. No intervention - 85%.
Cyber Bullying Statistics:
•43% of teens, 97% of middle schoolers and 47% of older teens 18-24 are cyberbullied.• 35% of kids have been threatened online. Nearly 1 in 5 have had it happen more than once.
• 21% of kids have received mean or threatening e-mail or other messages.
• 58% of kids admit someone has said mean or hurtful things to them online. More than 4 out of 10 say it has happened more than once.
•53% of kids admit having said something mean or hurtful to another person online. More than 1 in 3 have done it more than once.
• 58% have not told their parents or an adult about something mean or hurtful that happened to them online.