FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Oct. 2, 2006
Contact: Patricia Bill
952-838-9000 or 800-53-PACER
National Bullying Prevention Awareness Week Empowers Schools, Parents to End Childhood Harassment
National Bullying Prevention Awareness Week is Oct. 22 – 28, 2006. It is sponsored by PACER Center's National Center for Bullying Prevention and cosponsored by the National Coalition for Parent Involvement in Education, National Education Association, and National PTA.
Teachers, parents, and children nationwide are encouraged to use bullying prevention activities and materials at www.PACERKidsAgainstBullying.org to help end bullying.
“Childhood bullying is a significant problem nationwide,” said Paula F. Goldberg, executive director of PACER, a national parent center located in Minnesota. “It can cause school absenteeism, mental and physical stress, poor school performance, poor self-esteem, and, in some cases, school violence. Statistics show that 160,000 children in the United States miss school each day as a result of being bullied. That’s not acceptable.
“Teachers and parents can play a critical role in creating a climate where bullying is not tolerated. When adults and children stand together, bullying ends,” Goldberg said.
The www.PACERKidsAgainstBullying.org Web site features lesson plans and materials for teachers, resources for parents, and interactive activities to teach second through sixth graders about bullying and how to prevent it.
A grant from Robins, Kaplan, Miller and Ciresi LLP Foundation for Education, Public Health and Social Justice, a supporting organization of the Minneapolis Foundation, is instrumental in funding the Web site. Additional support comes from Target Corporation; Minnesota Twins; Kansas City Chiefs star Tony Gonzalez; Hollywood producer Chris Moore (Good Will Hunting); and others.
PACER Center serves families of children and youth with disabilities and special health needs, in addition to the bullying prevention project for all children. It provides resources such as publications, workshops, and individualized assistance and helps families make decisions about education, vocational training, employment, and other services for their child.
PACER is located at 8161 Normandale Blvd., Minneapolis, MN 55437-1044. Telephone numbers are 952-838-9000 (voice); 952-838-0190 (TTY) or 888-248-0822 (toll-free). PACER’s principal Web site is www.pacer.org, and its e-mail address is pacer@pacer.org.
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Editor: This news release can be downloaded at
www.kidsagainstbullying.org/NBPAW/media/NewsRelease.asp
National experts are available through PACER for media interviews on the following topics:
PACER's National Center for Bullying Prevention promotes bullying awareness, teaches effective ways to respond to bullying, and prevents bullying of all children, especially those with disabilities.