U.S. ED Secretary Arne Duncan Highlights Best Practices of Bullying Policies--Key Examples in State Laws are Highlighted as Legislation That Works to Help Protect Students

U.S. ED SECRETARY ARNE DUNCAN HIGHLIGHTS BEST PRACTICES OF BULLYING POLICIES—KEY EXAMPLES IN STATE LAWS ARE HIGHLIGHTED AS LEGISLATION THAT WORKS TO HELP PROTECT STUDENTS

In response to requests for assistance from state and local officials across the country following a rash of bullying-related suicides, U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, on December 16, distributed a memo to state leaders outlining key components of strong state bullying laws and policies. The technical assistance memo is intended to serve as a reference for state and local officials developing or revising anti-bullying legislation or policies.

“We need the commitment from everyone at the federal, state and local level to put an end to bullying,” U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan said. “I hope that highlighting these best practices will help policymakers as they work to keep our children safe and learning.”

The memo, which was sent to all governors, chief state school officers and state education boards, is part of the Obama Administration’s commitment to prevent bullying in schools. In the memo, the Department compiled key components of existing anti-bullying laws from 29 states. The laws were divided into 11 categories, which ranged from listing examples of bullying behavior to specifying procedures for investigating incidents.

Several states are leaders in their bullying policies. For example, Florida law specifically defines prohibited conduct, and Kansas law clearly covers “cyberbullying.” Washington state regulations require school officials and employees to tell certain personnel about any bullying they are aware of, and Georgia prohibits retaliation against those who report incidents. And in Massachusetts, the state policy includes a provision to provide training to an extensive list of staff members to help them prevent, identify and respond to bullying.

In addition to the memo, education officials are preparing a comprehensive summary of state anti-bullying laws and conducting a study of how those laws are implemented in the hopes that the data could further guide states in crafting effective regulations.

“We have all been told that bullying has been going on in our schools forever. But we can stop it now,” Duncan said. “Strong anti-bullying policies instill a climate that this behavior will not be tolerated.”

For more on the Education Department’s efforts around bullying prevention, visit http://www.bullyinginfo.org.

In addition, we are including Secretary Duncan’s technical assistance memo to the Chief State School Officers.  The link for this memo is: http://www2.ed.gov/policy/gen/guid/secletter/101215.html.

                                                                                                                                                            December 16, 2010

Dear Colleagues,

Recent incidents of bullying have demonstrated its potentially devastating effects on students, schools, and communities and have spurred a sense of urgency among State and local educators and policymakers to take action to combat bullying. The U.S. Department of Education (Department) shares this sense of urgency and is taking steps to help school officials effectively reduce bullying in our Nation’s schools. Bullying can be extremely damaging to students, can disrupt an environment conducive to learning, and should not be tolerated in our schools.

Along with our partners from the Departments of Health and Human Services, Agriculture, Interior, Defense, and Justice, we are in the process of developing key strategies to support and encourage efforts to prevent bullying in our schools. Our ongoing work has included the first-ever Federal Bullying Prevention Summit in August, the launch of our interagency bullying-resource Web site, http://www.bullyinginfo.org, the continued support and growth of the Stop Bullying Now! campaign, and the development of research and guidance on bullying prevention. The Department also awarded eleven Safe and Supportive Schools Grants to states to develop measurement systems to assess schools’ conditions for learning, including the prevalence of bullying, and to implement programs to improve overall school safety.

Recent guidance includes a Dear Colleague Letter issued on October 26 by the Department’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) that explains how, under certain circumstances, bullying may trigger legal responsibilities for schools under the civil rights laws enforced by OCR and the Department of Justice that prohibit discrimination and harassment based on race, color, national origin, sex, disability, and religion.¹ Schools must protect students from bullying and harassment on these bases, in addition to any obligations under state and local law.

Numerous stakeholders, including the National Conference of State Legislatures, the National Association of School Boards, the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, individual State legislators, and local school districts, among others, have asked the Department to provide assistance in crafting effective anti-bullying laws and policies. In response, the Department has prepared the attached summary of examples that illustrate how some states have tried to prevent and reduce bullying through legislation. States and local school districts can use these examples as technical assistance in drafting effective anti-bullying laws, regulations, and policies. The Department will also be working to produce additional helpful resource information.

Forty-five states have already passed laws addressing bullying or harassment in school. Ultimately State officials will determine whether new or revised legislation and policies should be introduced to update, improve, or add bullying prevention provisions. It is our hope that this information will be of assistance to State officials and other interested stakeholders.

Though laws are only a part of the cure for bullying, the adoption, publication, and enforcement of a clear and effective anti-bullying policy sends a message that all incidents of bullying must be addressed immediately and effectively, and that such behavior will not be tolerated. State laws, and their related district- and school-level policies, cannot work in isolation, however. When responding to bullying incidents, schools and districts should remember that maintenance of a safe and equitable learning environment for all students, including both victims and perpetrators of bullying, often requires a more comprehensive approach.

If you wish to receive further technical assistance on addressing bullying, please do not hesitate to contact the Department’s Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools by visiting its Web site at http://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/osdfs/index.html or by calling at 202-245-7896.

I look forward to continuing our work together to ensure equal access to education and to promote safe and respectful schools for all of our students.

Enclosure MS Word (100 K)

¹The Federal civil rights laws enforced by the Department include Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, or national origin; Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex; and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, which prohibit discrimination on the basis of disability. OCR’s Dear Colleague letter on discriminatory harassment under these statutes is available at http://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/letters/colleague-201010.html. The Department of Justice has jurisdiction to enforce Title IV of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, sex, religion, or national origin.

BULLYING—SETTING A CLEAR POLICY: FROM THE DESK OF KEVIN JENNINGS…

This fall, a rash of student suicides linked with bullying has startled the nation and galvanized action.  On Dec. 15, in response to requests for assistance from state and local officials across the country to deal with  bullying-related suicides, Secretary Duncan distributed a memo to state leaders outlining key components of strong state bullying laws and policies. The technical assistance memo is intended to serve as a reference for state and local officials developing or revising anti-bullying legislation or policies.  You can access s it at : http://www.ed.gov/news/press-releases/us-education-secretary-highlights-best-practices-bullying-policies

Some might say “a policy is not going to solve this problem.”  And they’re right  -- by itself, a policy won’t end bullying.  But there can be no solution to this problem without a clear policy.  When we put in place clear policies, we set expectations for student conduct and empower educators to uphold standards for good behavior.  Without policies, that work becomes all that much harder if not impossible.

We know that a policy alone can’t solve the bullying problem, but it’s the foundation on which a solution can be built.  We hope you will find this memo useful as you craft state and local policies to help reduce the number of tragedies we have experienced in the past year.

U.S. ED’s IES’ NCES ANNOUNCES NEW REPORT:TRENDS IN HIGH SCHOOL DROPOUT AND COMPLETION RATES IN THE UNITED STATES:  1972-2008

Approximately 3 million 16- through 24-year-olds were not enrolled in high school and had not earned a high school diploma or alternative credential as of October 2008, according to a new report. These dropouts represented 8 percent of the 38 million non-institutionalized, civilian individuals in this age group living in the United States, according to Trends in High School Dropout and Completion Rates in the United States: 1972–2008.

The report, released by the National Center for Education Statistics at the Institute of Education Sciences, builds upon a series of reports on high school dropout and completion rates that began in 1988. It includes national and regional population estimates for the percentage of students who dropped out of high school between 2007 and 2008, the percentage of young people who were dropouts in 2008, and the percentage of young people who were not in high school and had some form of high school credential in 2008. Data are presented by a number of characteristics including race/ethnicity, sex, and age. Annual data for these population estimates are provided for the 1972-2008 period.

Other findings include:

• Of first-time freshmen in public schools four years earlier, 74.9 percent had graduated with a regular diploma by the end of the 2007-08 school year. The lowest state-level rate was Nevada’s 51.3 percent and the highest was Wisconsin’s 89.6 percent.

• About 3.5 percent of students who were enrolled in grades 10-12 in public or private high schools in October 2007 left school before October 2008 without completing a high school program. While there have been fluctuations in the rate since 1990, the 2008 rate is not measurably different from the 1990 rate.

• The percentage of 16- through 24-year olds who were not enrolled in high school and who lacked a high school credential varied by race and ethnicity in 2008. The rate for Hispanics (18.3 percent) was the highest followed by the rate for Blacks (9.9 percent). Rates for Whites (4.8 percent), Asian/Pacific Islanders (4.4 percent), and persons of two or more races (4.2 percent) were the lowest among racial/ethnic groups.

To view the full report please visit:

http://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2011012

OJJDP BULLETIN PROVIDES OVERVIEW OF GANG PREVENTION RESEARCH

The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) has published "Gang Prevention: An Overview of Research and Programs."

The bulletin presents an overview of gang research and programs in the United States and examines how gangs form and why youth join them. It also describes how community members can start assessing their gang problems and enhance prevention and intervention activities to help prevent delinquency and gang violence. The author identifies promising and effective programs for gang prevention.

Resources:

"Gang Prevention: An Overview of Research and Programs" (NCJ 231116) is available at www.ojjdp.gov/publications/PubAbstract.asp?pubi=253165.

Print copies can be ordered online from the National Criminal Justice Reference Service

SURGEON GENERAL BENJAMIN’s REPORT SAYS EXPOSURE TO TOBACCO SMOKE CAUSES IMMEDIATE DAMAGE—FOCUSES ON HOW TOBACCO SMOKE CAUSES DISEASE

Exposure to tobacco smoke - even occasional smoking or secondhand smoke - causes immediate damage to your body that can lead to serious illness or death, according to a report released on December 9, by U.S. Surgeon General Regina M. Benjamin.  The comprehensive scientific report - Benjamin's first Surgeon General's report and the 30th tobacco-related Surgeon General's report issued since 1964 - describes specific pathways by which tobacco smoke damages the human body and leads to disease and death.

The report, How Tobacco Smoke Causes Disease: The Biology and Behavioral Basis for Smoking-Attributable Disease, finds that cellular damage and tissue inflammation from tobacco smoke are immediate, and that repeated exposure weakens the body's ability to heal the damage. "The chemicals in tobacco smoke reach your lungs quickly every time you inhale causing damage immediately," Benjamin said in releasing the report.  "Inhaling even the smallest amount of tobacco smoke can also damage your DNA, which can lead to cancer." 

The report also explains why it is so difficult to quit smoking. According to the research, cigarettes are designed for addiction. The design and contents of current tobacco products make them more attractive and addictive than ever before. Today's cigarettes deliver nicotine more quickly and efficiently than cigarettes of many years ago.

Tobacco smoke contains a deadly mixture of more than 7,000 chemicals and compounds, of which hundreds are toxic and at least 70 cause cancer. Every exposure to these cancer-causing chemicals could damage DNA in a way that leads to cancer. Exposure to smoke also decreases the benefits of chemotherapy and other cancer treatments. Smoking causes more than 85% of lung cancers and can cause cancer almost anywhere in the body. One in three cancer deaths in the U.S. is tobacco-related.

The report describes how the delicate lining of the lungs becomes inflamed as soon as it is exposed to the chemical mixture in cigarette smoke. Over time, the smoke can cause chronic obstructive pulmonary disease including emphysema and chronic bronchitis.  Even brief exposure to secondhand smoke can cause cardiovascular disease and could trigger acute cardiac events, such as heart attack. The report describes how chemicals from tobacco smoke quickly damage blood vessels and make blood more likely to clot. The evidence in this report shows how smoking causes cardiovascular disease and increases risks for heart attack, stroke, and aortic aneurysm.

Smoking causes many other harmful effects throughout the body, including making it harder for diabetics to control their blood sugar.  Smoking makes it harder for women to get pregnant and can cause a miscarriage, preterm delivery, low birth weight, as well as damage to fetal lungs and brain tissue. Babies who are exposed to secondhand smoke are more likely to die from sudden infant death syndrome, the report finds.  "This report makes it clear - quitting at any time gives your body a chance to heal the damage caused by smoking," the Surgeon General said. "It's never too late to quit, but the sooner you do it, the better."

Fortunately, there are now more effective ways to help people quit than ever before. Nicotine replacement is available over the counter and doctors can prescribe medications that improve the chances of successful quit attempts. Smokers can also call 1-800-QUIT-NOW for help.

To help communicate the report findings as widely as possible, the Surgeon General unveiled an easy-to-read guide with practical information about how tobacco smoke causes disease, A Report of the Surgeon General: How Tobacco Smoke Causes Disease: What It Means to You.

Copies of the full report, executive summary, and the easy-to-read guide may be downloaded at www.surgeongeneral.gov/library/tobaccosmoke/index.html.

To order printed copies of these documents, go to http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco and click the Publications Catalog link under Tools & Resources.

HHS’ SAMHSA’s NATIONAL REGISTRY OF EVIDENCE-BASED PROGRAMS AND PRACTICES (NREPP) HIGHLIGHTS NEW RESOURCES

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) recently added several new resources to its National Registry of Evidence-based Programs and Practices (NREPP) Web site.

These resources will assist program developers considering NREPP submissions, as well as individuals and organizations who are seeking to successfully implement evidence-based interventions. They include:

• Implementation: Making an Evidence-Based Program Work for You - a learning module providing guidance on selecting an evidence-based intervention to match an organization’s needs, and successfully implementing a chosen program.

• Preparing an Intervention for NREPP Submission and Potential Review - a learning module providing a detailed description and helpful hints on the NREPP submission and review process.

• Evidence-Based Therapy Relationships - a research document highlighting how various elements of a therapy relationship (e.g., alliance, empathy, goal consensus) are associated with treatment effectiveness.

• Screening and Assessment Tools - links to Web sites that provide a compendium of validated screening and assessment instruments and tools for mental and substance use disorders.

To access these new resources, click on the "Learning Center" tab on the NREPP home page at: www.nrepp.samhsa.gov, or http://www.samhsa.gov/newsroom/advisories/1012071342.aspx

SOURCE:SAMHSA’s Suicide Prevention Resource Center’s The Weekly Spark, December 15, 2011

PROTECT TEENS ON THE ROAD: PUT THE BRAKES ON DRUGGED DRIVING—RESOURCES FROM THE WHITE HOUSE’S OFFICE OF NATIONAL DRUG CONTROL POLICY (ONDCP) NATIONAL YOUTH ANTI-DRUG MEDIA CAMPAIGN

Drugged driving, or driving under the influence of drugs, is a much bigger public health threat than most Americans realize and unfortunately, it is a growing trend.  

According to the first-ever analysis of drug involvement from National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's (NHTSA) Fatal Accident Reporting System (FARS) census, one in three motor vehicle fatalities (33 percent) with known drug test results tested positive for drugs in 2009.[1] The new analysis also shows the involvement of drugs in fatal crashes has increased by five percent over the past five years, even as the overall number of drivers killed in motor vehicle crashes in the United States has declined.[2]  

As part of the National Drug Control Strategy, President Obama has made combating drugged driving a national priority and set a goal of reducing drugged driving prevalence by 10 percent by 2015.     

The National Impaired Driving Prevention initiative is an effort aimed at increasing awareness of the issue and encouraging states to explore policies and laws that can help reduce drugged driving. Community organizations can build on the momentum driven by December's National Impaired Driving Prevention Month and help raise awareness of the issue into the New Year. For facts, toolkits and more resources go to The Department of Transportation's National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's "Drunk Driving: Over the Limit. Under Arrest" Campaign website at www.stopimpaireddriving.org/.     

Protect Teens on the Road
Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for 15- to 20-year-olds.[3] And the use of drugs or alcohol increase teens' crash risks. In a comprehensive study on unsafe driving by high school students, 30 percent of seniors reported driving after drinking heavily or using drugs, or riding in a car whose driver had been drinking heavily or using drugs, at least once in the prior two weeks.[4]  

As teens take to the roads, you can take action by talking about the dangers of drugged and drunk driving. Parents are the most important influence on their teen when it comes to risky behaviors, including substance abuse and driving.  Teens who report having conversations with their parents about alcohol and drug use are more likely to stay drug-free, compared to teens who do not talk about substance abuse with their parents.[5]  

The National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign provides FREE online resources for community leaders and parents of teen drivers to help start the conversation about the dangers of driving under the influence. Please visit http://www.theantidrug.com/resources/impaired-driving.aspx to get more information on ways to prevent drugged driving in your community.   

Resources available include:

• A New Driver's Kit: Tips, facts, quizzes, and more alerting parents and teens to the dangers of drugged, drunk, and distracted driving.
• Parent-Teen Driving Contract: Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD) designed this contract to help facilitate communication between teens and parents about potentially destructive decisions related to risky behaviors and driving.
• Top 10 Tips for Preventing Teen Accidents: Tips for preventing teen accidents.   

 Free materials from the Media Campaign are available to distribute in your community by visiting www.TheAntiDrug.com/Resources or calling (800) 788-2800.

For more information on the White House’s Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign, visit www.MediaCampaign.org

Footnotes:

[1] U.S. Department of Transportation, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Fatal Analysis Reporting System, 2009. http://www.nhtsa.gov/FARS
[2] Ibid.
[3] U.S. Department of Transportation, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, "Traffic Safety Facts: Young Drivers," 2007. http://www.dtadadap.com/PDF/STATS/2007/2007-TSF-YoungDrivers.pdf.  [4] O'Malley P. and Johnston L. Unsafe driving by American high school seniors, 2001-2006. Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs; 68(6):834-42, November 2007. http://druggeddriving.org/duid/monitoring_druggeddriving01-6.pdf
[5] Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, 2007 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, Illicit Drug Use, September 2008. Page 68. http://oas.samhsa.gov/nsduh/2k7nsduh/2k7Results.pdf . 

OSDFS PICTURE OF THE WEEK

November 18, 2010, OSDFS Staff Carlette Huntley at PEP grantee site (The Police Academy League, Inc.)  New York, NY where First Lady Michelle Obama spoke and did some activities with the kids in the program.