Subject
title
Proclamation Declaring October 2025, as National Bullying Prevention Month in Rockville, Maryland
end
Department
City Clerk/Director of Council Operations Office
Recommendation
Staff recommends the Mayor and Council read and approve the proclamation and present it to the Principals from our Rockville Middle and High schools.
Discussion
October is National Bullying Prevention Month.
When we think of bullying, we often picture children in a playground, but bullying doesn’t always stop after adolescence. According to YouGov, two-thirds of British people said they have been bullied at some point, with 21% expressing they have experienced bullying as an adult.
Bullying has a massive impact on mental health and can affect someone’s personal and professional lives greatly, so it’s important to understand the signs of bullying if you come across it.
As a leader, it’s necessary to be aware of bullying in your workplace to safeguard the mental health of your people for better productivity and engagement.
Traditionally, bullying has been seen as “a childhood rite of passage <https://www.tommiemedia.com/bullying-needs-to-be-stopped/>” that “made kids tougher”. In reality, it can have devastating, often long-term effects such as a loss of self-esteem, anxiety disorders, and depression <https://www.stopbullying.gov/resources/research-resources/consequences-of-bullying> for its victims, as well as mental issues for the bullies themselves <https://abcnews.go.com/Health/Wellness/bullies-mental-health-disorder/story?id=17518230>. National Bullying Prevention Month fights to end bullying in all its forms by educating against it and empowering its victims. So, we had to ask: What is the most important information you need to know about this year’s National Bullying Prevention Month?
This year, we want to focus on bullying of adolescents. In August every year, 'Don’t be a Bully Month' is a dedicated month to raise awareness for the dangers and impacts of bullying. Bullying can hold a significant strain and stress on someone’s mental health, such as damage to self-esteem, sleep disturbances, and isolation. The month is a reminder to always be kind and compassionate to others, promote acceptance, and boost inclusivity to prevent bullying. The City of Rockville, Maryland, has combined the two months to raise awareness during October while school is in session.
The City of Rockville has reached out to the principals of the three High Schools that Rockville residents attend to lend our support to their efforts to address and eliminate bullying. This is a time to acknowledge that bullying has devastating effects on children and families, such as school avoidance, low grades and low attendance, loss of self-esteem, increased anxiety, and depression.
Bullying can occur in multiple ways. It can be verbal, physical, through social exclusion, or via digital sources like email, texts, or social media. Unlike mutual teasing or fighting, bullying occurs when one person or a group of people is perceived as being more powerful than another and takes advantage of that power through repeated physical assaults, threats of harm, intimidation, or by purposefully excluding a person from a valued social group. Being bullied can severely affect a person’s self-image, social interactions, and school performance and can lead to mental health problems such as depression, anxiety, and substance use, and even suicidal thoughts and behaviors.
90% of middle school students <https://study.com/academy/lesson/bullying-in-america-facts-statistics.html> are victims of harassment or bullying, and nearly 30% of youth <https://study.com/academy/lesson/bullying-in-america-facts-statistics.html> aged 12-18 experience bullying at school. Students ages 12-18, about 13% reported that they were made fun of, called names, or insulted; 12% reported being the subject of rumors; 5 percent reported that they were pushed, shoved, tripped, or spit on; and 5 percent reported being excluded from activities on purpose. Additionally, 4 percent of students reported being threatened with harm, 3 percent reported that others tried to make them do things they did not want to do, and 2 percent reported that their property was destroyed by others on purpose.
As a result, over 160,000 students <https://www.rmccharity.org/bullying-prevention-institute/resources/facts-and-laws/> miss school every day for fear of their bullies. Victims and teachers can also avoid reporting the bullying <https://www.cfchildren.org/blog/2016/09/why-dont-kids-report-bullying/> for fear of job loss, retaliation, or not being believed <https://study.com/academy/lesson/bullying-in-america-facts-statistics.html>. In the long run, bullying leads to mental disorders such as depression and violent behavior <https://havendetoxnj.com/mental-health/how-does-bullying-affect-mental-health/>, while also impacting school productivity, self-identity, and physical health <https://www.pacer.org/bullying/info/stats.asp>. Furthermore, bullied youth are 2.2 times more likely <https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10017085/> to develop suicidal thoughts.
3 Interesting Facts About National Bullying Prevention Month
1. Orange celebration: Unity Day <https://www.pacer.org/bullying/nbpm/unity-day.asp> is the signature event of National Bullying Prevention Month, with the slogan “Make it Orange and Make it End. Unite Against Bullying!” <https://www.pacer.org/bullying/nbpm/unity-day.asp>. Schools in all 50 states and many other countries, such as the UK, Australia, and Canada <https://www.pacer.org/bullying/nbpm/unity-day.asp>, organize events with anti-bullying experts to help youth socialize healthily and without prejudices. Even Ellen DeGeneres participated <https://www.pacer.org/bullying/nbpm/pdf/unity-day-guide.pdf> by wearing orange on her TV show and posting about the event on her website.
2. Bullying witnesses: Not all children and adults will be bullied in their lifetimes, but 70% have reported seeing bullying <https://study.com/academy/lesson/bullying-in-america-facts-statistics.html> occur at least once. Almost 40% have seen bullying <https://study.com/academy/lesson/bullying-in-america-facts-statistics.html> occur regularly, but very few people intervene <https://www.stopbullying.gov/resources/research-resources/bystanders-are-essential> during a bullying incident. Yet, bullied students report that interventions from their peers are more helpful <https://study.com/academy/lesson/bullying-in-america-facts-statistics.html> than self-defense or help from educators. In 57% of cases <https://mbfpreventioneducation.org/bullying-series-bystanders-student-intervention/> when bystanders get involved, the bullying stops within 10 seconds <https://mbfpreventioneducation.org/bullying-series-bystanders-student-intervention/>.
3. Internet bullies: Cyberbullying <https://www.pacer.org/bullying/info/cyberbullying/> is a growing issue amongst youth and is now a significant concern <https://bera-journals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1467-8535.2012.01363.x> for school teachers. Nearly half of US teens <https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2023/11/17/9-facts-about-bullying-in-the-us/> have been cyberbullied, with 55% of them <https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2023/11/17/9-facts-about-bullying-in-the-us/> stating that this is a major problem for people their age. In addition, nearly twice as many female students <https://www.stopbullying.gov/resources/facts> reported being cyberbullied compared to male students. More worryingly, 60% of cyberbullying victims <https://www.pandasecurity.com/en/mediacenter/cyberbullying-statistics/> have their education impacted, while 25% are pushed to self-harm <https://www.webpurify.com/blog/cyberbullying-statistics/>.
On a larger scale, National Bullying Awareness Month is a timely reminder for organizations to take action at the local level to foster safe and supportive environments. Workplace bullying-whether through hostile comments, discriminatory actions, or other forms of intimidation-should never be tolerated.
By promoting kindness, inclusiveness, and respect, we can contribute to creating workplaces where everyone feels valued and respected. Together, we have the power to make bullying a thing of the past and build a better, more compassionate world.
Let's all do our part to acknowledge bullying, learn the triggers and traits, call it out, and work hard to prevent it and eliminate it.
Source:
• https://www.nctsn.org/resources/public-awareness/national-bullying-prevention-month#:~:text=October%20was%20first%20declared%20as,%2C%20increased%20anxiety%2C%20and%20depression <https://www.nctsn.org/resources/public-awareness/national-bullying-prevention-month>
• <https://www.pacer.org/bullying/nbpm/>
• <https://www.healthassured.org/blog/dont-be-a-bully-month/>
• https://hr.nih.gov/working-nih/civil/national-bullying-awareness-month#:~:text=October%20is%20National%20Bullying%20Awareness,intimidation%E2%80%94should%20never%20be%20tolerated <https://hr.nih.gov/working-nih/civil/national-bullying-awareness-month>.
• <https://impactful.ninja/national-bullying-prevention-month/>
Mayor and Council History
The Mayor and Council present this proclamation annually.