McMillen Center to Expand Bullying Education

The McMillen Center for Health Education is expanding their bullying education to a wider range of grades and has developed a new class on cyberbullying. Currently offered to youth in third through fifth grades, new classes have been developed to extend bullying education through twelfth grade. “Recent national events and local requests prompted us to expand this critical education. Students need to learn skills to diffuse bullies and most importantly, to know they should tell a trusted adult about the abuse before it escalates,” states Holli Seabury, CEO of the McMillen Center. Bullying and cyberbullying classes will be offered onsite at the McMillen Center, in school classrooms located within 100 miles of the Center, and to schools nationwide through Interactive Video Conferencing.

 

The National Education Association estimates that over 160,000 children stay home from school every day because of bullying and that half of all children are bullied at some time during their school years. One in three youth in middle or high school report being the victim of cyberbullying. Cyberbullying is especially damaging because the taunts and threats can occur at any time of the day and night and can be quickly spread to others through social networking sites and texting. Children who are bullied can experience serious emotional difficulties which can interfere with social development, self-esteem, and school performance. Victims of bullying are also at increased risk for problems with anxiety, depression, and suicide.

 

The criminal justice system is increasingly holding both students and school districts responsible for bullying actions. Last month, the Hudson Area School District in Michigan, accused of not doing enough to prevent the harassment of a student, was ordered to pay $800,000 to the victim and his family. Recently a prosecutor in Massachusetts filed multiple felony charges against six teenagers, saying their taunting and physical threats led a fellow 16 year-old student to commit suicide.

 

National groups like the PTA are increasingly making bullying prevention part of their agenda. Theresa Distelrath, Indiana PTA Issues Commission Chair states, “We are pleased to support the McMillen Center’s new bullying programs. The PTA supports programs and policies that addresses, prevents, and eliminates bullying and hazing in any place that children congregate. We support a zero tolerance policy and encourage partnerships and alliances with other agencies and organizations to educate the public about the risks and costs of bullying. Through literature, legislation, and prevention programs the goal of the PTA is to virtually eliminate bullying.”

 

The McMillen Center for Health Education’s mission is to provide vital and effective, preventive health education programs that promote physical, emotional, and social well-being. The McMillen Center fulfills its mission by providing fact based health programs and by promoting responsibility in health choices and decision making. Programs are presented by professional health educators annually to over 40,000 youth nationwide.