State of Alabama
Department of Education
Larry E. Craven, J.D.
Interim State Superintendent of Education

News Release:
November 30, 2011

Contact: Malissa Valdes
334-242-9952
mvaldes@alsde.edu

STOP BULLYING IN ALABAMA

Alabama Department of Education unveils new portal for

Anti-Bullying resources for Alabama Educators, Parents and Students

Montgomery, Al. - The Alabama Department of Education (ALSDE) announces the release of the Stop Bullying in Alabama website to provide students, parents, teachers and school administrators a variety of resources to help combat bullying in Alabama’s schools. On December 1, these supportive resources will be made available on the award-winning Alabama Learning Exchange (ALEX) www.alex.state.al.us, at no cost to educators, students, or parents.

Bullying in Alabama’s schools is a serious issue that cannot be ignored. Bullying occurs when a person is exposed, repeatedly and over time, to negative actions on the part of one or more other persons, and has difficulty defending him or herself.

Dr. Yvette Richardson, Alabama State Board of Education member for District IV is taking the lead in this statewide campaign to stop bullying in educational settings and online. “No child in our schools should ever feel scared or demeaned for any reason. It is up to adults to help them respond to bullying when it occurs, and also to take every step to ensure it does not occur in the first place,” said Richardson.

She appeared on Fox 6’s, “What’s Right with Our Schools” program recently outlining the plan to put an end to bullying in Alabama’s schools. Richardson is currently leading a task force assembled by ALSDE that includes teachers, parents and community leaders from a variety of Alabama agencies and organizations. The goal of this task force is to help implement Alabama's Student Harassment Prevention Act, signed into law in 2009.

In addition to passing a law against bullying in our schools, and requiring schools to incorporate board-approved anti-bullying policies to combat these startling statistics, ALSDE designed the Stop Bullying in Alabama website. The ALEX website will feature a variety of resources for parents, teachers, administrators, and students all designed to stop bullying in Alabama. School administrators who set up an account through the Administrator section can opt for a free service that is available to create an anonymous “Report a Bully” button that can be displayed on school websites for students to use. Model policy guides to implement a bully-free school plan will also be available.

Bullying can take many forms, including physical, verbal, indirect, social alienation, intimidation and the newest form, cyber bullying. Stopcyberbullying.org defines cyberbullying as when a child, preteen or teen is tormented, threatened, harassed, humiliated, embarrassed or otherwise targeted by another child, preteen or teen using the Internet, interactive and digital technologies or mobile phones.

The Cyberbullying Research Center states that 20% of students report experiencing cyberbullying in their lifetime. A 2009 survey by the Associated Press and MTV showed that 50% of young people aged 14-24 have experienced “digitally abusive behavior.”

With a video introduction by Richardson, the Stop Bullying in Alabama website will be available free to all Alabama residents. The Stop the Bullying in Alabama website will be prominently featured on the award-winning ALEX (Alabama Learning Exchange) website, which attracts 120,000 monthly visitors. To view the website, go to http://alex.state.al.us/stopbullying/. 

Gordon Persons Building • P.O. Box 302101 • Montgomery, AL 36130
Telephone (334)242-9700 • Fax (334)242-9708 • Web site:www.alsde.edu