Menu
Educators and students across the sunflower state wore pink this week to stand up to bullying.
The Kansas State Department of Education challenged people to wear pink on Tuesday, Oct. 3, or any day this week to stand up to bullying.
By joint resolution, the Kansas State Senate and the Kansas State Board of Education declared the first full week of October as Kansas Anti-Bullying Awareness Week. October is also National Bullying Prevention Month.
The percentage of Kansas kids who reported they were bullied had been decreasing since 2008, reaching an all-time low in 2021 while many students weren’t attending school in person because of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, since then, bullying has been trending upward again. In 2023, bullying at school was at the highest level ever reported, according to the Kansas Communities that Care survey. Nearly one in three students – or 32% - reported being bullied in the past year.
The color pink is often associated with bullying prevention because of Pink Shirt Day, which started in 2007 in Canada after students donned pink shirts in support of a peer who was bullied for wearing pink. Pink Day is celebrated internationally in different ways and on different dates.
KSDE asked everyone to wear pink, snap a photograph and share it on social media using the hashtag #BullyingStopsHere and tagging @ksdehq.
These are just a sampling of how schools participated in Anti-Bullying Awareness Week.
In this edition | Feature Story | Assessments and Accountability | Reporting and Operations Standards and Instruction | Student Health and Nutrition | Upcoming Events, Trainings and Recognition
Questions about this page contact:
Denise Kahler (785) 296-4876 dkahler@ksde.org
In this edition
Sections
The Kansas State Department of Education does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, disability, or age in its programs and activities. (more information...)
To accommodate people with disabilities, on request, auxiliary aides and services will be provided and reasonable modifications to policies and programs will be made. To request accommodations or for more information please contact the Office of General Counsel at gc@ksde.org or by 785-296-3201.