Home » Anti-Bullying task force to hold first meeting

Anti-Bullying task force to hold first meeting

Set for Oct. 22 in Frankfort

FRANKFORT, Ky. (Oct. 17, 2014) — The Kentucky Youth Bullying Prevention Task Force will hold its first meeting on Oct. 22 to begin studying bullying in schools and recommending practices and policies to help foster safer, harassment-free school environments.

Teenage Problems, Social Issues and BullyingThe meeting will begin at 9 a.m. in the Auditorium Room A-3 at the Kentucky State Office Building, 501 High St., in Frankfort. “Bullying has no place in the life of any child or adolescent, especially in a setting like a school where he or she should feel safe and be able to focus on learning,” Beshear said. “As this task force gets to work, we expect it to find solutions to make our schools safer and free of bullying and harassment. This is important for the well-being of individual students, and for everyone; we can’t have as strong a future workforce if bullying interferes with educating our young people.”

More than one in four Kentucky students ages 12 to 18 reported being bullied at school in 2011 and the Kentucky Department of Education recorded 15,520 incidents of bullying in Kentucky during the 2012-13 school year. That equals one reported bullying every four minutes of every school day.

The Youth Bullying Prevention Task Force will analyze existing laws and policies; interview school professionals, bullying victims and other experts; and collect training and resource materials. The group will submit its findings, including recommendations for policy initiatives and school practices, in a report to the governor by Nov. 15, 2015.