Anti-Bullying Policies Addressed

New Orleans, LA â?? Orleans Parish School Board member Thomas A. Robichaux today urged members of the National Association of School Safety and Law Enforcement Officers (NASSLEO) to strengthen anti-bullying policies and programs. Robichaux made the remarks during the opening address of the annual NASSLEO conference at the Astor Crowne Plaza Hotel in New Orleans.

Robichaux, Louisianaâ??s first openly gay elected official, emphasized that anti-bullying policies and programs can drastically reduce the risk of violent incidents in schools.

“The evidence shows that gay children and especially gay children of color are the most at risk for bullying at school and that bullying is the number one reason for child suicide and acts of retaliation against fellow students,â? said Robichaux. “I hope that delegates to this convention will lobby their own school systems to implement anti-bullying policies and programs which include race and sexual orientation.”

During an interview with Robichaux, NASSLEO Executive Director Peter Pochowski agreed that bullying, no matter the reason, remains at the top of the list of concerns for school security officials.

Those concerns were echoed by Minaz Jivraj, NASSLEOâ??s Canadian director. Jivraz noted that anti-bullying education is integrated into many classes and programs in Canadian schools, and that this approach has been very successful in minimizing bullying and student violence.

The interviews were conducted as part of “The Robichaux Report”, an education access channel program hosted by School Board member Robichaux for Orleans Parish Schools.