In the News

Speak Out Against Bullying, Inc., sponsored an energy-filled kick-off to National Bullying Prevention Month on October 3rd at Exterra Charter Elementary School in Los Angeles. Over 500 students, faculty, staff, and parents joined the LAPD as well as representatives from local government and PACER’s National Bullying Prevention Center to pledge that “the end of bullying begins with me.” Speak Out Against Bullying, Inc., will also sponsor Unity Day celebration on October 19th at Santa Monica Boulevard Charter School with 1,000 students and community partners in addition to bullying prevention assemblies, parent group workshops, and community meetings during the month.

Watch the full newscast | Visit Speak Out Against Bullying website

Friends of PACER’s seventh annual Run, Walk, Roll Against Bullying, presented by the Minnesota Association of Professional Employees brought kids, parents and teachers together Saturday at Mount Normandale Lake Park in Bloomington, Minnesota.

The event kicked off National Bullying Prevention Month, which was founded by PACER’s National Bullying Prevention Center in 2006.

Hosted by FOX 9’s own Jason Matheson of “The Jason Show,” the event also featured Mandy Chick, a 14-year-old race car driver from Kansas who was recently named Missouri State Rookie of the Year in the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series and Madeline Van Ert, Miss Minnesota 2016.

Watch the full report.

Disney Mix, a new social messaging app for kids, is supporting PACER’s National Bullying Prevention Month by offering free orange sunglasses as an avatar accessory throughout October. This partnership is part of Disney’s #ChooseKindness campaign.

Disney is encouraging its users to display the sunglasses all month long and especially on Unity Day, Oct. 19. That’s the day when people around the world wear and share orange to show their support of those who experience bullying.

The Disney Mix app is available on Apple and Android devices.

The Blind Judo Foundation and Inclusive TV, a channel dedicated to the disabled, have endorsed October as National Bullying Prevention Month, which was initiated by PACER’s National Bullying Prevention Center in 2006.

Athletes of the Blind Judo Foundation are blind and visually impaired, yet they train and compete in the sport of Judo. Co-founders Coach Willy Cahill of Cahill’s Judo Academy and Ron C. Peck of the Blind Judo Foundation have a zero tolerance to bullying of any kind.

Both the Blind Judo Foundation and Inclusive TV are recognized as Champions Against Bullying by PACER’s National Bullying Prevention Center.

The Los Angeles office of the National Bullying Prevention Center has published its first newsletter! The newsletter contains information about its staff, ways to get involved during National Bullying Prevention Month in October, and the resources that are available to schools and communities in the Los Angeles area.

Download the newsletter.

Our partner The Great American NO BULL Challenge, sponsors a global video contest, which is open for submissions October 10. Create a short film or PSA that raises awareness and inspires positive change in your school and community. Get your entire school, the members of your favorite organization, or your friends together to create a film that will inspire a movement. Pick a subject that’s important to you, that needs attention and get involved… After all, NO BULL believes that change starts with you.

Learn more.

Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton has proclaimed October to be Bullying Prevention Month. The proclamation acknowledges PACER’s National Bullying Prevention Center and its National Bullying Prevention Month, which was initiated in 2006. It further recognizes PACER’s “innovative resources to raise awareness of bullying, and help schools and communities unite for kindness, acceptance, and inclusion.”

The governor’s proclamation encourages students, parents, schools, companies, and organizations to engage in a variety of awareness and prevention activities, treat each other respectfully, and make environments “healthy and safe for all.” National Bullying Prevention Month is a worldwide campaign that takes place each October.

View the proclamation.

PACER’s National Bullying Prevention Center contributed to a recent Reader’s Digest article titled “10 Silent Signs Your Child is Being Bullied.” NBPC Associate Bailey Lindgren was one of the experts who described several behaviors that can be a red flag for parents. Among the behaviors that can be indicative of bullying are a reluctance to go to school, a change in friendships, trouble sleeping, and an obsession or withdrawal from devices. “If your child is not as talkative as they normally are, or if they go straight to their room after school, those could be things to look out for,” Lindgren says.

The latest edition of Disability Connection, an email newsletter from Disability.gov, provides “10 Things to Know Before Going Back to School.” On the list is the basics about bullying, particularly the bullying of students with disabilities.

The newsletter cites PACER’s National Bullying Prevention Center and the information it provides about this issue. It encourages parents to teach children to recognize the signs of bullying and take steps to learn about bullying and disabilities.

Children with disabilities are two to three times more likely to be bullied than their nondisabled peers. PACER’s National Bullying Prevention Center offers valuable information, such as statistics, rights and policies, tools for self-advocacy and peer advocacy, guidelines for using person first language, and activities and resources.

Disability.gov is the federal government website for comprehensive information about disability-related programs, services, policies, laws, and regulations.

YouTube star Bethany Mota was honored on Aug. 16 at Variety’s Power of Young Hollywood event for her work with PACER’s National Bullying Prevention Center. Bethany has spoken at middle and high schools in the Los Angeles area, sharing her own experience with cyberbullying and empowering students to take action against bullying.

Mota understands that her voice can be powerful, especially among her teen and preteen fans. She currently has 10 million subscribers on her YouTube channel, 3 million on Twitter, and 5 million on Instagram.

Along with being recognized at the Hollywood event, she is featured in Variety’s August issue.

“For me, if I’m not inspiring or helping in some way, I’m not happy,” Mota told the magazine.

Mota’s YouTube videos feature DIY tips and tricks, and she has a line of school supplies at Target. She also has a line of clothing, accessories, and fragrance line at Aéropostale, an upcoming book, and a budding music career.

Mota’s Variety article can be read online. PACER thanks Bethany Mota for her continued support of the National Bullying Prevention Center!