Palo Alto Mayor Nancy Shepherd Joins CA Mayors in New School Initiative with 'Bully Project'

Palo Alto Mayor Nancy Shepherd, plus mayors in San Francisco, Napa, Culver City, Beverly Hills, Manhattan Beach, Sacramento, Stockton, Anaheim and Irvine, Alto have signed onto a new partnership with The US Conference of Mayors and The BULLY Project as part of a major national initiative to develop local solutions-based responses to combat the epidemic of bullying in local schools.  

The California mayors join more than 170 mayors from around the country who have signed on to the project – called the Mayors’ Campaign to End Bullying – to raise awareness, foster safe school climate, and work with experts from The BULLY Project to create customized responses to bullying in their local school districts.

"We are pleased to join the national effort that is focused on changing the culture of bullying into one of understanding and acceptance," said Palo Alto Mayor Nancy Shepherd.  

"We have faced this issue on a local level in our community and know the importance of bringing together parents, students, schools, mental health professionals and others to form a system of support for our youth and teens that we call Project Safety Net.  We look forward to being part of a larger movement to end bullying, and will continue our collaborative work to address the issue in our community."

"We strive to create a safe, healthy and nurturing environment for every student, and applaud the national effort to address the issue of bullying," said Barb Mitchell, Board President of the Palo Alto Unified School District.  "It takes a comprehensive approach that engages all members of the community to promote and sustain an atmosphere that ensures our youth are supported academically, physically and emotionally."

As part of the initiative, San Francisco, Napa, Culver City, Beverly Hills, Manhattan Beach, Sacramento, Stockton, Anaheim, Irvine, and Palo Alto will have access to technical support from a team of education specialists at the University of Illinois in partnership with The BULLY Project. 

The experts will provide participating mayors with advice and research on programmatic approaches to ending bullying, so the solutions developed through the initiative are based strongly in recognized best practices and have a sustainable impact that lasts beyond National Bullying Prevention Month in October.

FOR A FULL LIST OF ALL PARTICIPATING CITIES AND MAYORS: http://www.usmayors.org/workforce/documents/2014-7-14EnrolledMayors-TheBullyProject-byState.pdf

The BULLY Project will also provide participating mayors with screening resources, including the film and specialized discussion guide, strategic event support, and supplemental educational resources to help mayors plan and host scalable events that raise awareness and focus community efforts to keep schools safe.

“With Congress stalled on legislation to end the bullying epidemic, the Mayors’ Campaign to End Bullying is a critical initiative to establish policies and programs that would improve the lives of the 13 million kids bullied in America each year.” said Lee Hirsch, filmmaker behind Bully and founder of The BULLY Project. 

 “Working with California’s mayors, we hope to engage cities and community across the State in developing a city-specific action plans that draw from research-based initiatives and best practices, so that we move beyond temporary fixes to permanent solutions that enable all children and educators to learn and teach in safe, supportive environments.”