Dear President Barack Obama, Senator Frank Lautenberg, Senator Robert Menendez, Congressman Albio Sires, Congressman Steve Rothman, Congressman Donald Payne, Governor Chris Christie, Senator Sandra Cunningham, Senator Nicholas Sacco, Assemblyman Charles Mainor, Assemblyman Jason O’Donnell, Assemblyman Vincent Prieto, Assemblywoman Joan Quigley, Mayor Jeremiah Healy, Members of the Jersey City Municipal Council, Prosecutor Edward Defazio, Chief Thomas Comey, and Sheriff Frank Scillari;

The students, staff and community of the Jersey City Public Schools call upon you to BE BOLD and join us in the fight to BAN BULLYING. Every hour, citizens are at the mercy of bullies in their schools, in their workplace, in the streets and in their homes. Research shows that:

• Every seven minutes a child is bullied;

• 20% of teens have been ridiculed by a bully;

• 18% of teens have been the victim of rumors and gossip;

• 11% of teens have been physically bullied;

• One in ten students is bullied daily;

• 44% of middle school students report having been bullied; and

• 20% of elementary students report having been bullied.  

Such bullying includes threats, exclusion, coercion, peer pressure, destruction/theft of personal property, cyber bullying and sexual harassment.

We at the Jersey City Public Schools firmly believe that the crisis of bullying requires a proactive, unified and unequivocal response. Accordingly, we ask that you take the lead by doing the following:

• Support proposed new laws (local, state or federal) responding to the crisis of bullying;

• Seek to implement anti-bullying initiatives on the local, state or federal level;

• Attend and take the lead in anti-bullying rallies and movements;

• Help to find ways to fund anti-bullying initiatives, resources and programs for the community at large;

• Assist with developing and implementing anti-bullying initiatives and programs for the community at large; and

• Assist in drawing attention to the crisis of bullying by raising it in public forum.

Accordingly, we ask for your vigilance. We ask for your help. We deserve no less.

BE BOLD BAN BULLYING!