As part of its ongoing commitment to ensuring a safe and welcoming learning environment for all students, Fayette County Public Schools partnered with community leaders, law enforcement officials and the U.S. Attorney’s Office to kick-off the 2015-16 school year with an anti-bullying summit for high school students.
“Our school campuses must be safe places for all students," said Fayette County Public Schools Superintendent Manny Caulk. “There is no room for discrimination, bullying or hate in our school district."
The goal of Thursday’s event was to raise awareness about the harmful impact of bullying and to promote tolerance in schools. The summit specifically focused on equipping students to know how to respond if they witness bullying or are a victim of bullying.
While Fayette County Public Schools has strong policies to protect students against harassmentand bullying, national statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report that roughly 1 in every 5 high school students has experienced bullying.
Increased education and attention to the issue has had an impact in FCPS. In the past five years, while our enrollment has risen by more than 3,000 students, the number of reported incidents of bullying or harassment in Fayette County schools has been cut nearly in half - from 1,019 incidents in the 2010-11 school year to 533 last year.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
