Kansas teens invited to share their thoughts, too

The Blue Ribbon Task Force on Bullying Prevention will host its next meeting on Tuesday, June 18, at Horace Good Middle School, 1412 N. Main Street in Garden City.

Bullying affects everyone, and Kansas is taking steps to combat this complex issue by convening a Blue Ribbon Task Force on Bullying that will have meetings across the state to gather public input.

In March 2019, Kansas Commissioner of Education Dr. Randy Watson announced the Blue Ribbon Task Force on Bullying Prevention to research and identify current bullying trends, data and prevention measures occurring across the state in an effort to understand better how to combat this complex issue.

The Task Force hosted its first meeting Tuesday, May 28, in Clearwater. There are five more meetings scheduled for June through December. All of the meetings take place from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Members of the public are encouraged to attend, and there will be a public comment session offered at each regional site meeting. The meetings will include presentations on bullying and bullying statistics and data.

Remaining regional site meetings are:

·         Monday, Aug. 5: Salina, Smoky Hill Education Service Center, 605 E. Crawford.

·         Wednesday, Sept. 25: Girard, Greenbush Education Service Center, 947 W. 47 Highway.

·         Wednesday, Nov. 6: Lawrence, Greenbush Resource Center, 1104 E. 1000 Road.

·         Monday, Dec. 2: Lawrence, Greenbush Resource Center, 1104 E. 1000 Road.

Anyone – from parents and educators to community members, organization leaders and members of the media - can attend the task force meetings. Public input can be submitted in writing or presented verbally. Written comments, which will be read during the public comment session, should be submitted to Amy Martin one week prior to the scheduled meeting via email at admartin@ksde.org. Written input must include the person’s name, address and county of residence.

Attendees wanting to make verbal comments during a meeting must sign in on the “Public Comment” sign-in sheet at the meeting. Each person will have three minutes to make verbal comments. Please provide the task force a written copy of verbal comments.

Kansas teens are being asked to share their thoughts on bullying, too, by visiting https://mewe.com/join/kansasblueribbontaskforceonbullying. Students are encouraged to visit the site and answer this question: What can we do to prevent bullying in Kansas schools?

The information gathered during the listening tours and elsewhere will be compiled and used to develop recommendations to present to the State Board of Education later this year.

For additional information on the task force meetings, please contact Martin by email at admartin@ksde.org or by phone at 785-296-5608.