Bullying is now, not just a huge social-emotional issue, it is also becoming an academic performance issue, a factor in criminal behavior and quite frankly, is driving economic issues at the school and community level. That’s why Sears and I have launched ‘Team Up to Stop Bullying’ to help put solutions and services directly into the hands of parents, children and educators dealing with an acute bullying problem. 
I have enclosed a clip of an interview that shares information about our coalition of more than 55 leading bullying solutions and service organizations working together to deliver actionable solutions and services all in one place: www.sears.com/teamup . 

www.fox43.com/videogallery/71500769/News... 

As the school year progresses, please keep us in mind for any bullying stories that you’re planning – we would love to share some of the solutions, the latest stats and facts and some clear perspectives on where the anti-bullying movement is trending. 

We also just might have some good news too. :) ~ 

Thanks, 
Marie 
Managing Director, Team Up To Stop Bullying 
www.teamuptostopbullying.com 
630-673-9178 
marieknewman@me.com 
Co-author, "When Your Child Is Being Bullied:Real Solutions"

Sears launches Team Up to Stop Bullying: a first-ever national coalition of 55 leading bullying solutions partners - solutions for kids, parents and schools all on one website

HOFFMAN ESTATES, Ill., Aug. 1, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Parents of the 13 million children who suffer from an acute bullying problem[1] can now find solutions at their fingertips. Sears has announced the launch of Team Up to St

BULLY TEE SHIRTS ARE NOW AVAILABLE!!! Woohoo!! A portion of the sales will go to The Bully Project: 1 Million Kids initiative to bring students to see the film for free. Get yours here:www.sears.com/hanes-bully-movie-t-shirt/p-033VA51166101P?prdNo=13&blockNo=13&blockType=G13

"Bully" Movie T-Shirt- Hanes-Clothing-Young Men's-Shirts
www.sears.com

 Team Up Visits The White House! Great day for Team Up To Stop Bullying on Friday. Arne Duncan and Valerie Jarrett hosted a private screening of the great documentary, Bully and a panel discussion on bullying on 4/20. Team Up was one of several anti-bullying and supportive in attendance. Ms. Jarrett enthusiastically announced that 2 pieces of legislation designed to protect our children in school were signed by President Obama earlier that day. So proud to be working with Sears new initiative, Team Up To Stop Bullying and with our partners, The Bully Project and 1 Million Kids! http://www.marketwatch.com/story/bully-screens-at-the-white-house-moments-after-president-announces-support-for-anti-bullying-bills-2012-04-20

A harsh and extremely unsettling headline, right? Unfortunately it is true. Check out Huffington Post writer Marlo Thomas' article "Bullying Claims Another Victim… an Unexpected One." This type of double tragedy simply should not be. In this deeply saddening case, this terrific young man, only 14 years old, took his own life after being bullied for a long time. Then adding to that horrible tragedy, his noble and inspirational father, who was diligently working in the anti-bullying movement on a number of fronts, took his own life because he simply could not make sense of a world that continues allow bullying to happen. My co-author and I are constantly struck by the fact that literally everyone we meet or speak to casually or formally is very supportive of the anti-bullying movement, but unfortunately, they do not feel empowered. Well, guess what, there is good news: you are officially empowered today! The better news is: every American has the power to do something in their own community. If your school does not have an anti-bullying policy that includes prevention, victim support, bully rehabilitation and teachable consequences, help them build it. You can start on our site (www.solutionsforbullying.com) or start anywhere -- just do it. If you see bullying, report it, or if it is safe, intervene and stop it. If your community, child's sports team/association or park district condones bullying, speak up and ask for change. If you see parents ignoring these issues, convince them as to why we must stop this cycle. Most important: the solution starts with you. There are many real solutions out there (not just ours); use your search engine and find some. Then, commit to addressing bullying and realize you are saving lives. Now, go out there, find the right solutions for your school or community and save lives. Thank you! "When Your Child Is Being Bullied: Real Solutions for Parents, Educators and Other Professionals," is a book filled with plans, tools, resources and checklists for anyone who wants to stop bullying in their communities. Available on www.amazon.com, www.barnesandnoble.com or www.solutionsforbullying.com

oday the Department of Education released a report entitled "Analysis of State Bullying Laws and Policies" (www2.ed.gov/rschstat/eval/bullying/state...) reviewing state and school district policies related to anti-bullying and harassment. The report clearly identifies that while 46 states have anti-bullying laws, they fall short on several measures. Most importantly, under these laws, the vast majority of states have little or no ability to enforce the laws or hold schools accountable. Similarly, very few laws identify clear consequences for bullying perpetrators. Anti-bullying advocates and authors, Jacqui DiMarco and Marie Newman discuss the social issues and legal implications of bullying in their book, When Your Child is Being Bullied: Real Solutions for Parents, Educators, and Other Professionals. The authors provide recommendations to school districts, communities and parents on how to implement systems that stop bullying using "Real Solutions" and "Teachable Consequences" vs. antiquated measures most schools currently use. They are available for comment or interview about the Department of Education report and why the laws are not designed for success . See www.solutionsforbullying.com for a media kit. Contact Information: Email - marieknewman@me.com Phone - 630-673-9178 Or contact us through our website www.solutionsforbullying.com

I frequently scratch my head at this. The good news: Media folks have done a tremendous job identifying that the U.S. has a various serious bullying problem and the depth of the problem. The bad news: solutions for bullying are never covered. There are solutions that work well! Hundreds of them! There is an army of experts, advocates, professionals and volunteers out there everyday working hard and actually making progress against the bullying epidemic. Please do not misunderstand, revealing and demonstrating the problem is critical and should continue without question. My only concern is that solutions are not focused on as well. As examples, our team can speak to 20 different school districts and school systems that have successfully decreased bullying dramatically in the last 3 years. Similarly, I can share several handfuls of key stories where severe bullying issues were resolved with happy endings. Again the exposure to the problem is crucial, but providing working solutions would provide hope and clearly, motivation. We can do this. There are strategies and tactics that work! Let's all start taking a problem-solution approach and start motivating people! For more on this topic and clearly effective solutions for both individual cases of bullying as well as compelling and proven solutions for schools, see our book, "When Your Child Is Being Bullied: Real Solutions For Parents, Educators and Professionals" at www.solutionsforbullying.com and amazon.com.

www.SolutionsforBullying.com When parents or members of the media ask us: "What are the most important steps to take if one finds out their child is being bullied?" It is really simple, but takes some tenacity and determination from a parent to stop their child's torment comprehensively and quickly: The key steps: Get the full story and all of the facts quickly Stay as calm as you can, but be assertive Document the incidents in writing with dates, participants and descriptions Call the principal and teacher team for a meeting quickly Bring your documentation and your most respectful, yet determined, self to the meeting At the meeting: Require the parents of the bully be informed of his/her behavior Require the bully and his parents sign a document (see our family contract in our book, "When Your Child Is Being Bullied:Real Solutions" ) that guarantees all bullying, speaking about the bullied child/bullying incidents and malice will cease immediately Require that both the bully and the bullied child move on from the incident and agree to be civil to one another moving forward (they don't have to be friends, but must be respectful) Never have the bully and the bullied child hash it out in a "peer to peer conflict resolution" meeting - this only re-victimizes the victim and makes the bully angrier If the above does not work immediately, see our additional recommendations in the book. Frequently the above is enough, but often times it is not and we have many more recommendations that will work well. In our book, When Your Child Is Being Bullied: Real Solutions (www.solutionsforbullying.com), outlines a full plan (yes, unfortunately you will need it - these things tend to be messy and complicated) designed to be customizable to your child's specific needs and their specific challenge. When Your Child Is Being Bullied: Real Solutions is available on www.amazon.com and www.solutionsforbullying.com

While bullying prevention programs are critical, schools are really lost when it comes to treating the immediate, acute and ongoing problem: active bullies. There are literally hundreds of fantastic bullying prevention programs and groups making great progress out there in preventing children from bullying. BRAVO and please continue that hard work! Unfortunately, the other key part of the equation is all but ignored in schools: CONSEQUENCES FOR THE BULLY. I think most folks are quite clear that once a bully has begun to bully, if he/she is not stopped early, introspects and understands why bullying is damaging to both the victim and himself, he/she will continue bullying. Herein lies the problem. Children who have experimented with bullying can still be re-directed by prevention programs. Unfortunately, there are literally hundreds of thousands seasoned bullies age 9-18 out there who are completely unaffected by prevention programs. The only way to reform a seasoned bully is with clear consequences that force he/she to understand life will be less fulfilling, interesting and enjoyable or downright scary if he/she continues to bully. In fact, most bullies won't change until they stop feeling "invincible" and break the bullying habit. As with any child, most bullies fall into a routine/habit and can't stop. Like any other bad habit, they can't stop until they want to stop. Which is why parents/communities/schools need to add "teachable consequences" into their anti-bullying programs. Bullies tend to be narcissistic and won't understand anything unless it is presented in such a way that clearly demonstrates how harmful bullying will be to them.The answer to this dilemma for schools and parents? Provide consequences that illustrate the scary path a bully will go down if they continue to bully. Bullies need to know about 60% of seasoned bullies will be incarcerated or charged by the time they are 24 yrs old. This is true across all socioeconomic status. What To Do? Based on number and gravity of offenses, use the following types of consequences: Require bullies to research the topic and understand the impact of bullying Mandate that they write an essay how why bullying is horribly damaging for victims as well as bullies Make volunteer service in homeless shelters where former victims and bullies reside to better understand how bullying affects adults Initiate visits to reformed gang members where the bully can learn how bullying translates to crime and tragedy Create an in-school service model where bullies are forced to clean/perform work around the school that are reserved for only bullying offenses and where other children see them Require commitment letters to be written by the bully that promise to stop the bullying and provide clear action steps outlining how the bully will change their behavior and attitudes Probation programs with a school probation officer have worked well too Meetings with a police officer who outlines the law, the effects of bullying on victims and bullies articulating the fact that bullying is a crime and charges can be pressed are very effective There are many other highly effective ideas that work well too. If you do nothing else today, share the above with your school and help them get started. You will see a difference quickly in the level and frequency of bullying in your schools. See our book for much more on this topic. "When Your Child Is Being Bullied: Real Solutions For Parents and Educators" is available on www.amazon.com and www.solutionsforbullying.com

When Your Child Is Bullied: Real Solutions for Families By: J.E. DiMarco and M.K. Newman Tip List: • Do not tell your child to ignore the bullying • Reassure your child that he/she will be protected and you will not stop until there is a complete solution in place • Document all facts of each instance of bullying • Develop a plan to stop the bullying with the school. Work respectfully and collaboratively, but aggressively with the school to develop a plan. Make certain you, as the parent, lead the solution and play a very active role. • Use all of your community resources: a. School social workers/guidance counselors b. Teachers c. Superintendent d. School Board e. School nurse f. Therapists/psychologists g. Coaches h. Members of law enforcement i. Attorneys • Act quickly, comprehensively and early. The longer the bullying goes on, the more difficult the situation becomes for your child and your family. • There are real solutions that work, be persistent • Never: allow your child to participate in “peer to peer resolution”, this only re-victimizes the victim and angers the bully