An anti-bullying town hall meeting featured Kirk Smalley, a nationally known speaker whose 11-year-old son committed suicide because of bullying. The meeting also included an anti-bullying panel discussion moderated by a local news anchor. An Anti-bulling Summit was held for State law enforcement personnel and educators. Through lectures and discussion, information was provided on the signs, symptoms, and tactics of bullying. Anti-bullying messages were displayed on billboards throughout the county. At the city zoo, officers and staff greeted visitors with anti-bullying hand-outs, including the popular "Take a Stand Against Bullying" wrist-bands. Other give-away items and community presentations were also part of the campaign. Trained officers and training staff from the Safety Education Unit developed an eighth-grade lesson plan to be presented at the invitation of local schools. This one-day, one-classroom presentation focused on such topics as the abuse of drugs and alcohol, self-esteem, and recognizing bullying. Officers also used a pre- and post-training survey developed by the University of Tennessee. This component of the program will continue beyond the period of the start-up Federal grant.
Knoxville "Takes a Stand" Against Bullying
NCJ Number
248894
Journal
Techbeat Dated: May/June 2015 Pages: 3-7
Date Published
June 2015
Length
5 pages
Annotation
This article describes the components of the comprehensive anti-bullying campaign for which the Knoxville Police Department (Tennessee) Safety Education Unit received a national award from the School Safety Advocacy Council.
Abstract