Katie O'Malley: Standing up against bullying in Maryland
Private, public partners joining forces during Bullying Awareness and Prevention Week in Maryland
Despite the commonly held perceptions, when it comes to bullying, everyone is a victim, from our schools to our communities. The message is simple: A child's mental health is just as important as their physical health.
Last year, we teamed up with the Maryland State Department of Education to declare Bullying Prevention and Awareness Week in May to encourage schools and communities across the state to engage students in events to stress nontolerance toward bullying.
Bullying may be physical or verbal. Teasing, harassing, spreading rumors, actively ignoring or intentionally hurting another child are all forms of bullying. Victims of bullying are more likely to experience depression, less likely to be accepted by classmates and may experience a drop in their self-esteem. And in some cases, the effects are fatal, causing our children to commit suicide or do harm to themselves — dimming the light on their once bright futures.
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