KY CENTER FOR SCHOOL SAFETY

News release

October is Bullying Prevention Month and every third week of October is Kentucky Safe Schools Week.

Schools across Kentucky have an opportunity to partner with their local lawmakers, first responders and community to observe Kentucky Safe Schools Week. This week provides an opportunity for awareness of school safety issues and initiatives to be discussed and enhanced at the local and state level.

This year, Kentucky Center for School Safety is proud to announce Kentucky Safe Schools Week (Oct. 21-27) has the theme “BE INCREDIBLE, Reveal Your Superhero!” Kentucky Center for School Safety encourages community members, educators, students and parents to participate during the week.

As schools from east to west prepare for Safe School Week activities, emphasis this year is being placed on our incredible Kentucky students. Being incredible is simply being the best you can possibly be. Every student has incredible super skills and talents that make them unique and strong.

We are asking our incredible students to band together with school staff and the community to create a safe “family-like” culture at school. Incredible super powers can be used to fight against bullying, cyberbullying, harassment, conflict, hate and violence, while spreading empathy, compassion and respect.

Fighting to solve these issues may be as easy as leaving an online tip. Students can be a “Silent Hero” and help without fear of retaliation. The Kentucky Center for School Safety offers to partner with schools and provide a “free” online reporting tool, the STOP! tipline. The tipline encourages students, parents or community members who know of an unsafe situation in school to anonymously pass on that information to school personnel by using a digital format.

The tipline is available at www.kycss.org/stop/resources.php.

During Safe Schools Week, the KCSS website supplies a variety of teaching aids, along with the

online pledge against bullying and Kentucky Safe Schools Week Tool Kit, loaded with resources

such as daily announcements, activity pages, PowerPoint presentations, lessons, videos,

scenarios, interactive websites and more. Resources will also be available for school administrators, parents and community involvement at www.kysafeschools.org/ssw.php.

This year’s online pledge against bullying highlights the word SUPER and the qualities necessary to bring “Supers” into the sunlight: S — strong; U — understanding; P — powerful; E — encouraging; and R — respectful. The pledge is avilable online at kysafeschools.org/sswpledge.

“I support and encourage all Kentuckians to participate and bring awareness and support to safety issues in the schools across our commonwealth,” said Jon Akers, executive director of KCSS. “Joining together, we can make a personal commitment to reduce intimidation and harassment in our schools, while we work to improve culture and build meaningful relationships.”