From the Desk of Kevin Jennings--Bullying: Setting a Clear Policy

The following message comes from the desk of Kevin Jennings, Assistant Deputy Secretary of the U.S. Dept. of Education

This fall, a rash of student suicides linked with bullying has startled the nation and galvanized action. On December 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 the memo 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.