The Bullying Academy, a Web-based Program for Schools Takes Aim at a Social Epidemic

PHILADELPHIA, June 14, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Each day as many as 160,000 U.S. children miss school daily because of bullying. Students in the Know Foundation, a non-profit group, is launching The Bullying Academy, a web-based interactive program designed to help 4th-8th grade students recognize the dangers associated with bullying and cyber-bullying. The Bullying Academy will be introduced at the (International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) Conference 2011, June 26-29 at the Pennsylvania Convention Center.

"Cyber cruelty is rapidly increasing in volume and complexity because teens are never taught how to act responsibly and appropriately while communicating online or via other electronic devices," explains Tommy Walser, the executive director of Students in the Know and program founder. "This program is a simple and free solution to a pressing dilemma: How to teach students that bullying should not be tolerated as merely part of growing up, and that all students have the right to a safe learning environment."

According to American Justice Department statistics, school bullying statistics and cyber-bullying studies show that on any given month 1 out of every 4 kids are abused by another youth. Thirty-five percent of students report hate-related words being used against them. Bullying has become epidemic as observed in the media through alarming cases of violence and desperation that, in extreme cases, have led to deaths.

"As technology continues to leap ahead schools are falling behind," adds Walser. "Many school curriculums don't address bullying prevention, especially cyber-bullying, one of the most common forms of abuse that involves instant messaging and text messaging. Both can occur at any time during the day and are often suffered in silence."

The Bullying Academy requires no additional software or extensive training for teachers. Schools simply register with the program's website and students immediately have the curriculum available to them. It can be implemented during any class period or extracurricular activity.

Students learn:

• Characteristics and risk factors common to bullies
• What bullies look for in victims
• How to recognize the short- and long-term effects of bullying on victims and bullies
• How to properly respond and report bullying
• How to avoid violence while standing up for each other

All material is grade appropriate. A pre- and post-quiz component measures how much students learn after completing the program. Students receive a certificate/diploma which varies depending on their score, and are provided with data reports of how well they perform in certain categories of questioning such as recognizing consequences of bullying or developing effective communication.

About Students in the Know Foundation

Students in the Know (SITK) is a non-profit foundation created to educate Middle school students about bullying and cyber bullying, in an effort to improve the quality of our communities. Founder and executive director Tommy Walser was inspired to create the program by seeing friends and family suffer from bullying in their communities, as well as by the increased media coverage of bullying activity and its often tragic results.

For more information about The Bullying Academy, visit the organization's website at http://www.studentsintheknow.org or access the online press kit at

http://www.virtualpressoffice.com/kit/BullyingAcademyISTE11

CONFERENCE INFO

ISTE Conference 2011, Pennsylvania Convention Center, June 26-29

http://www.isteconference.org/2011

The Bullying Academy Students in the Know Foundation booth # is 3002

Virtual Press Office for conference: http://news.vpoinc.com/page/ISTE2011

Bureau of Justice statistics document

* http://bjs.ojp.usdoj.gov/content/pub/pdf/iscs09.pdf

SOURCE Bullying Academy