Anti-Bullying Program

Director James Touts Anti-Bullying Program in Public Schools

JEFFERSON CITY, Jan. 18, 2005-Director Mark James gave opening remarks today at an anti-bullying school assembly at Thorpe Gordon Elementary School.

“No town, including Jefferson City, is immune to acts of student violence and bullying,” James said. “Programs like Mission Possible aim to make those would-be child aggressors think twice before they hurt others and their future. It is courageous of schools like Thorpe Gordon to ask for assistance with the bullying problem that inevitably all schools face.”

According to Prevent Child Abuse America 160,000 children stay home from school each day for fear of being bullied. Many bullying incidents go unnoticed or are treated as normal child’s play. That was clearly not the case in November when a student was seriously beaten at Jefferson City High School.

These full-blown incidents are what programs like Mission Possible aim to prevent. Mission Possible “Solving the Crime of Bullying”, a project of the Second Chance Foundation, was also preformed at Belair Elementary early this morning. Project Director Laura Morris said the program will be seen by approximately 22,500 students at 75 school assemblies throughout the state this year. Many Kansas City and St. Louis students have already seen the production, which teaches students the vocabulary of bullying and about self-esteem.

Project Director Laura Morris said even though her program is designed for elementary school students, other schools have asked for a program geared towards older children including Thomas Jefferson Middle School. Moreau Heights Elementary School has seen the presentation in the past.

This is the 3rd year the Department of Public Safety has granted Title II federal funds ($40,000) for the Mission Possible program. The anti-bullying program reached 48, 301 students in its first two years of Public Safety grant-funding, and fulfills a youth delinquency prevention mission of the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention.

For more information about Juvenile Justice Programs funded by the Missouri Department of Public Safety please contact Terri Durdaller at (573) 751-4819. For more information about Mission Possible, please contact Laura Morris at (573) 635-1979. For additional information about bullying in Missouri schools, please visit www.schoolviolencehotline.com.

*News Release*
*Public Safety*	Matt Blunt, Governor	Mark James, Director
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE For more information, please contact: Terri Durdaller Communication Director Work:(573) 751-4819 Cell: (573) 301-2023
Director James Touts Anti-Bullying Program in Public Schools JEFFERSON CITY, Jan. 18, 2005-Director Mark James gave opening remarks today at an anti-bullying school assembly at Thorpe Gordon Elementary School. “No town, including Jefferson City, is immune to acts of student violence and bullying,” James said. “Programs like Mission Possible aim to make those would-be child aggressors think twice before they hurt others and their future. It is courageous of schools like Thorpe Gordon to ask for assistance with the bullying problem that inevitably all schools face.” According to Prevent Child Abuse America 160,000 children stay home from school each day for fear of being bullied. Many bullying incidents go unnoticed or are treated as normal child’s play. That was clearly not the case in November when a student was seriously beaten at Jefferson City High School. These full-blown incidents are what programs like Mission Possible aim to prevent. Mission Possible “Solving the Crime of Bullying”, a project of the Second Chance Foundation, was also preformed at Belair Elementary early this morning. Project Director Laura Morris said the program will be seen by approximately 22,500 students at 75 school assemblies throughout the state this year. Many Kansas City and St. Louis students have already seen the production, which teaches students the vocabulary of bullying and about self-esteem. Project Director Laura Morris said even though her program is designed for elementary school students, other schools have asked for a program geared towards older children including Thomas Jefferson Middle School. Moreau Heights Elementary School has seen the presentation in the past. This is the 3rd year the Department of Public Safety has granted Title II federal funds ($40,000) for the Mission Possible program. The anti-bullying program reached 48, 301 students in its first two years of Public Safety grant-funding, and fulfills a youth delinquency prevention mission of the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. For more information about Juvenile Justice Programs funded by the Missouri Department of Public Safety please contact Terri Durdaller at (573) 751-4819. For more information about Mission Possible, please contact Laura Morris at (573) 635-1979. For additional information about bullying in Missouri schools, please visit www.schoolviolencehotline.com.
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