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Important Survey
Tell us what resources and information would be helpful to you and your school community by taking this anonymous 10 question survey by clicking here.
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Newly Created Resource
The Attorney General's Office has updated web content and will be developing an online toolkit, sharing information and resources for educators to prevent and address bullying. With your help, we hope to add to this list and update it regularly.
If you have a program in your school that works, please tell us about it! Contact us at agoschoolsafety@massmail.state.ma.us.
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BULLYING LEGISLATION UPDATE
May marks the third anniversary of the passage of the state's anti-bullying law. This landmark piece of legislation enhanced school-based bullying prevention and education efforts. The Legislature, recognizing that the anti-bullying law was but an important first step in addressing school bullying, established a Commission, chaired by the Office of the Attorney General, to review the General Laws and make recommendations on additional statutory changes. After hearing from educators, parents, students, and advocates from across Commonwealth, the Commission developed a series of recommendations to improve the law and its implementation.
In January, our office filed legislation that incorporates those recommendations. Among the changes proposed is the creation of a state-wide data reporting mechanism to better monitor how the new law is working. It would also require schools to take specific steps to support students who are particularly vulnerable to bullying because of some personal characteristic, or perceived characteristic such as their race, religion, disability or sexual orientation. A hearing on the bill is scheduled before the Joint Committee on Education on May 30 at the State House. |
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Welcome to the first edition of the Massachusetts School Safety Alliance (MSSA) newsletter.
The MSSA is intended to serve as a forum for educators, school counselors, school administrators, and juvenile law enforcement professionals to share the work you are doing in your schools to prevent bullying and improve school climate.
Through my work as Chair of the Massachusetts Commission on Bullying Prevention, I had the opportunity to hear from some great schools about the wonderful work being done around bullying prevention and education. We truly appreciate the work of the 21st century educator. Your days do not end when the last school bell rings, and we understand that educators are under more stress than ever before. We are interested in hearing about what challenges you face, and what type of support would be helpful to you and your schools. Please help us by completing this survey.
We hope to be a resource to you and facilitate a state-wide dialogue on how to make Massachusetts schools and communities free from bullying.
Cordially,
Martha Coakley
Massachusetts Attorney General
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Bullying Prevention and Education
Conference
AG Coakley was the keynote speaker at the Worcester area Bullying Prevention and Education Conference held recently at Worcester South High School. Over 350 educators attended the day-long event organized by the Worcester Public Schools. The conference featured Worcester's bullying intervention program the B.R.A.C.E. (Bullying Remediation and Court Education) Project: a full school-day bullying education workshop that provides a targeted, in-depth approach to addressing repeated or increasingly serious incidents of bullying.
B.R.A.C.E. provides a "second tier" action plan designed to engage not only the bullying student, but also his or her family in a day of education and training around the destructive effects of bullying, and the legal and financial consequences of bullying activity. A key component to the program is partnership and coordination among community stakeholders involved in youth safety and juvenile diversion.
Organizers also featured a panel discussion of the documentary movie "BULLY" and provided free copies of the movie to attendees as well as copies of the
and educator's guide to attendees.To learn more about Worcester's bullying prevention efforts contact Rob Pezzella, School Safety Liaison for the Worcester Public Schools.
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The Massachusetts Department of Early and Secondary Education (DESE) provides a range of information and resources for educators and community members, including bullying prevention and intervention resources, as well as information about the state's anti-bullying law. For more information click here.
The Massachusetts Aggression Reduction Center (MARC) at Bridgewater State University is an academic research center that provides anti-bullying and anti-cyberbullying programs, training, and curricula to educators and communities. To learn more, click here
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