Right to Education Project's Special Highlight Newsletter

On behalf of the Right to Education Project (REP), we want to highlight Bullying Prevention and Domestic Violence Awareness information and resources in this month of October!

We are Legal Aid of NC’s statewide education justice project. We use this newsletter to share information about upcoming events and resources for parents and families, as well as tips on how to help your student be successful and feel safe in school.

Please forward this newsletter to anyone that you think might be interested and encourage them to sign up to receive it here.

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*Fact Check*

October is Domestic Violence Awareness and Bullying Prevention Month. Below are a few facts about each.

Domestic Violence

1 in 15 children are exposed to intimate partner violence each year, and 90% of these children are eyewitnesses to this violence.
Domestic violence in childhood is directly correlated with difficulties learning, lower IQ scores, deficiencies in visual-motor skills and problems with attention and memory.
Studies done by statistics of state showed that Around 1 in 4 women (24.3%) and 1 in 7 men (13.8%) aged 18 and older in the US have endured severe physical violence from their partner at some point in their lives.
On a typical day, there are more than 20,000 phone calls placed to domestic violence hotlines nationwide.
While people at all income levels experience domestic violence, those earning lower incomes experience domestic violence at higher rates than those with higher household incomes.

Bullying

33% of U.S. elementary students reported being bullied often while at school.
More than 1 in 5 high school students reported being bullied in person, while, 1 in 6 high school students reported being bullied electronically in the last year.
Nearly 40% of high school students who identify as lesbian, gay, or bisexual and about 33% of those who were not sure of their sexual identity experienced bullying at school or electronically in the last year, compared to 22% of heterosexual high school students.
Bullying increases the risk for depression, anxiety, sleep difficulties, lower academic achievement, and dropping out of school.
Bullying negatively impacts all youth involved including those who are bullied, those who bully others, and those who witness bullying, known as bystanders.

Citations:

https://www.doorwaysva.org/our-work/education-advocacy/the-facts-about-domestic-violence/

https://ncadv.org/STATISTICS

https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/youthviolence/bullyingresearch/fastfact.html

https://www.togetheragainstbullying.org/tab/targets/elementary-school-ages

This section is to highlight resources from our project and partners!

Has your student or a student you're connected to, experienced bullying in school?

Under the law, bullying and harassment are different from the typical disagreements or conflicts that occur between friends or classmates in the school setting. Bullying or harassment is often part of a pattern of repeated, targeted, aggressive actions that make a student feel afraid and/or isolate the student from the school environment. In some situations, a single incident of bullying or harassment can be severe enough to qualify under state law. Under North Carolina law, students receive legal protections when bullying occurs if the bullying happens at school, on the bus, or at a school-sponsored event and it:

Makes the student afraid for their safety or their safety of their belongings; and/or
Creates a hostile environment for the student that makes it difficult for them to learn or otherwise participate in the school environment.

State law requires that a school district have an established process to investigate and address reports of bullying. However, individual districts have a lot of flexibility regarding what the specifics of that process will look like. It is very important that you review your local school district policies to understand the process that your district requires.

In this spreadsheet, we have compiled links to all local school district policies. To find your charter school policy, check your school’s handbooks or policy manual.

Bullying is a very sensitive topic and it can be difficult to talk about. If you or your student are struggling to have a conversation around bullying, or you are concerned that bullying is occurring, review this resource on how to talk about bullying.

Consider researching if there is a support group for youth in your area or school who have had similar experiences of bullying. If not, have a conversation with the school that you are interested in setting this up.
Consider connecting with nationally- or state-accredited anti-bullying organizations and initiatives that focus on empirically-based interventions:
Pacer.org
StopBullying.gov
Engage in school or district wide advocacy to ensure healthy and safe schools (see strategies in above question for opportunities).

Lastly, If you are interested in connecting with other individuals, parents, and families who are navigating similar issues related to the complaint/grievance process, please visit our Parent Advocacy & Support webpage for statewide and local opportunities for support.

Have you or someone you're connected to experienced Domestic Violence?

Domestic violence is a pattern of behaviors used by someone to maintain power and control over another partner in an intimate relationship.

Domestic violence can include behaviors that physically harm, intimidate, manipulate or control a partner, or otherwise force them to behave in ways they don’t want to. Domestic violence can include:

Physical violence and intimidation
Abusive or belittling language
Control of the victim’s freedom, causing isolation
Control of the victim’s finances, causing dependency
Threats of violence or taking children away

Legal Aid of North Carolina has an amazing Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Team. Under this team, we have two projects that can offer support: the Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Project (DVSA) and the Immigration Pathways for Victims (IMMPAV). These projects secure court protective orders for survivors, provide legal assistance to victims of domestic violence, and provide free immigration assistance to immigrant survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, and human trafficking.

You can find more information about each of these projects on their websites. Click the links below to each project website:

This month, Legal Aid of North Carolina also launched its Break the Silence campaign. “Domestic violence is on the rise throughout the state of North Carolina and this is a sensitive topic that impacts so many of us,” notes TeAndra Miller, project manager of Legal Aid North Carolina’s Domestic Violence Prevention Initiative. “We want to empower survivors with resources to break the silence surrounding domestic violence and encourage others to get involved through our pledge campaign.”

Learn more at https://stopthecyclenc.org/pledge/. You can also check out our short documentary "Beyond Fear," that seeks to share the stories of survivors of domestic violence:

Legal Aid of NC's "Beyond Fear" documentary

Hotlines and Helpful Tips

In need of assistance? Here are toll-free numbers that could help you with resources.

Legal Aid NC Hotline: 1 (866)-279-5262

Monday-Friday 8:30am-1:30pm Monday & Thursday 5:30pm-8:30pm

PACER National Bullying Prevention Center Hotline: 800.537.2237

8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m., CST, Monday – Friday

National Domestic Violence Hotline: 800-799-7233

24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year

More Education Resources

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