The U.S. Department of Education will host the second annual Federal Partners in Bullying Prevention Summit Wednesday and Thursday, Sept. 21 - 22, at the Washington Hilton Hotel in Washington, D.C. U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan will deliver a keynote address at 1:55 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 21. He will discuss the problem of bullying and state and local commitments to prevent it.
Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius, Assistant Secretary for the Office for Civil Rights Russlynn Ali, Assistant Attorney General Thomas Perez, Director of the White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders Kiran Ahuja and other federal representatives will reaffirm the Administration's commitment around the issue of bullying. Additionally, Congresswoman Linda Sanchez (D-Calif.) will offer remarks regarding current Congressional efforts around bullying prevention. American Federation of Teachers (AFT) President Randi Weingarten, National Education Association (NEA) Secretary/Treasurer Rebecca Pringle, Seventeen Magazine Editor-in-Chief Ann Shoket, President and CEO of the Ad Council Peggy Conlon, and others also will participate in the summit, representing the many non-profit and corporate efforts that launched this past year.
Since the department's first-ever bullying summit last year, considerable effort has been made by both the public and private sectors to bring attention to bullying and the challenges of addressing it. The U.S. Department of Education and its federal partners have been involved in several initiatives that will be discussed at the summit.
This year's summit will expand on last year's goal of crafting a national strategy to prevent bullying, and will work towards engaging private and public organizations committed to providing needed tools and resources to ensure the safety of students. Additional goals include engaging government and nongovernmental partners in discussing the implications and impacts of last year's efforts and identifying the next steps for continued progress in combating bullying.
The invitation-only summit is hosted by the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools in conjunction with the departments of Justice, Health and Human Services, Defense, Agriculture, the Interior, the Federal Trade Commission, the White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, and the National Council on Disability. Attendees will include 175 leaders of corporate and non-profit organizations, researchers, school personnel, parents, and students.
The first day of the summit will feature two panels discussing the use of media to inform bullying prevention efforts. Campaigns from Seventeen Magazine and ABC Family Channel, as well as the launch of a new Ad Council campaign sponsored by AOL, TimeWarner and Facebook, will be discussed. In addition, a performance by the Michigan-based Trust Theater Ensemble of the Bullycide Project will highlight the importance of youth-led story-telling in addressing bullying. There also will be a panel discussion on the need for more research-based efforts and quantitative evaluations to measure the effectiveness and impact of anti-bullying efforts.
The second day will feature a discussion with several individuals whose family members' suicides were attributed, in part, to bullying. A session focusing on the barriers to addressing bullying in several different populations will include a discussion with students on how best to prevent and address bullying.
A full agenda is available at www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/osdfs/news.html .
WHO:
U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan
WHAT:
Remarks at second annual Federal Partners in Bullying Prevention Summit
WHEN:
1:55 p.m. ET Wednesday, Sept. 21, 2011
WHERE:
Washington Hilton Hotel
1919 Connecticut Avenue N.W.
Washington, D.C.