Anti-bullying campaign founder says issue is epidemic that requires community solutions

The statistic is staggering: 56 percent of school children, grades 5-12, or about 13 million nationwide say they've been a target of bullies at one time or another.

It's a problem that affects communities, families and schools. Tackling the issue takes a commitment from parents, teachers, law enforcement, elected officials and children themselves. That was the message delivered Saturday at workshop in Carson City presented by the founding members of the national nonprofit group Teach Anti-Bullying, Inc.

Attended by parents, students and citizens, the workshop at the Brewery Arts Center was designed to launch a grass roots effort here in Carson City to address the problem locally, the same problem experienced on nearly every school campus in the country.

Parents, school districts and citizens need to look at and not past the 24-hour news cycles that tell of school violence and realize there are fundamental problems that need to be addressed in communities, said Dr. Claudio Cerullo, founder and president of Philadelphia-based Teach Anti-Bullying, Inc.

"There is a disconnect. At what point does it reach a breaking point?" asked Curello, when examining teen suicides and school shootings from Columbine to Sandy Hook.

Solutions begin when children know that they are safe in their schools and that they won't be retaliated against if they tell an adult they are being bullied physically or online, he said.

Schools and school districts need to have policies in place to address bullying and cyber bulling seeing to it that each case reported is taken seriously. Across the nation children who are targeted still believe that if they report harassment, they are snitching and by telling someone it will only make matters worse for them. The epidemic has only gotten worse with social media, which victims are targeted with threats and psychological torment and humiliation.

The breaking point has been school violence, shootings and an alarming rate of young children and teens committing suicide because they feel there is no one who will take them seriously and that their teachers and parents fail to intervene or to see the warning signs.

Therefore the goal should be empowerment: schools, communities and kids should unite with one cause, said Daniela Redpath, vice president of of Teach Anti-Bullying. She started the group with Cerullo because her son, who has Aspergers, has been the victim of bullying which still persists today. She said like any parent with a child with disabilities, children can become the blood to a feeding frenzy of sharks waiting to strike. Without intervention as a parent, it would have gotten worse for her son, she said.

Teach Anti-Bullying, Inc. was launched in November 2011 out of Redpath and Cerullo’s concern that it wasn't being addressed. Since then the pair have spoken with more than 15,000 school students, teachers, and parents who have been, or are being affected by bullying. To drive a stake in the problem, there needs to be a collaboration of all stakeholders — children, educators, parents, community leaders, law enforcement, and local, state and federal legislators — in the pro-active intervention and prevention.

The workshop was made possible by retired Nevada Highway Patrol Trooper Michael "Sean" Giurlani who said Carson City is ready for an anti-bullying program. Giurlani is the running mate of Deputy Don Gibson, who is running for Carson City Sheriff. Gibson also attended the workshop.

Giurlani said bullying is an issue that isn't addressed as it should be at the local level. Having a son and nephew who have been victims of bullying, he said he has found "a strong urge to do something about it" and that bringing Cerullo and Redpath to provide context to the problem is a first step.

Other communities are becoming proactive, getting both students and parents involved. In South Lake Tahoe the middle school's parent teacher association held a workshop this month to discuss social media and its role with students and the responsibilities of parents and students.

In the city of Carson, Calif., The city council in the community of 94,000 people gave preliminary approval this week to an ordinance that would target anyone from kindergarten to age 25 who makes another person feel "terrorized, frightened, intimidated, threatened, harassed or molested...with no legitimate purpose."

Giurlani said while he doesn't necessarily agree with California and its politics, the move by Carson in Calif., was the correct thing to do.

"In this case, Carson City, Nevada needs to mirror the city of Carson in California," he said. "What the community has done there is it is essentially telling the children that its parents, its schools and its law enforcement cares about them, their safety and well being."

When an Eagle Valley Middle School student stood up at the workshop and told the group bullying was a problem at her school, Giuralani said he knew that organizing the workshop was a good start.

"Our kids need to know that we are listening and want to do something about this," said Giuranli. "The commitment goes hand in hand with Don Gibson, regardless of the sheriff's race. We are making a commitment to this community to address bullying, to get people talking about it and then to find solutions."

"The workshop and presentation was instrumental and extremely important," said Gibson. "If I am fortunate enough to become Carson City Sheriff, anti-bullying programs will be at the forefront of my administration."

Parent Dennis Billow brought his 9-year-old daughter Grace to the workshop and spoke of the need for the school district to open up more about the issue and address complaints from students.

He said his daughter has been a victim for months on the school bus by a certain boy and that school teachers and officials have been made aware of the problem, but the harassment and slapping continued for months.

Grace said it was her parents who helped empower her after she told them of the problem. The boy continued until very recently to taunt her, she said, but it appears as if he is moving on now, she said.

"My parents let me know that I don't have to put up with it and I am not," she said.