Bullying-Related Suspensions Prompt Group's Offer to Place 'Bullies Are Cowards' Banner and Posters in Schools
For Immediate Release:
April 26, 2012
Contact:
Shakira Croce 202-483-7382
Colorado Springs, Colo. -- In response to an incident in which a 9-year-old boy was suspended for fighting back against a bully, PETA has sent a letter to Colorado Springs School District 11 offering to help schools better enforce their zero-tolerance bullying policy. In the letter, the group shows the well-established link between violence against animals and violence against humans and offers to send posters—along with a large banner for West Elementary School, where the recent incident occurred—that read, "Abuse: Report It if You See It," and that urge students to report animal abuse to school and municipal authorities.
"Studies show that kids who abuse and bully animals often go on to hurt human beings, so it's vitally important to stop this violence when it starts," says PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman. "And since most kids love animals and relate to the dogs and cats with whom they share their homes, PETA's poster also explains bullying in a way that students of all ages can easily understand."
For more information, please visit PETA.org.
PETA's letter to Superintendent of Schools Nicholas Gledich follows.
April 26, 2012
Nicholas Gledich
Superintendent of Schools
Colorado Springs District 11
Dear Superintendent Gledich,
I am writing on behalf of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) and our more than 3 million members and supporters—including thousands across Colorado—with a suggestion that could help prevent future bullying at West Elementary School and across your district. As a mother, I understand that most kids relate to and care about their dogs and cats at home, so I would like to offer a banner version of PETA's "Bullies Are Cowards—Don't Be Afraid To Report Them" public service announcement (PSA) for you to display at West Elementary School. I would also be happy to send posters of this PSA for you to put up in the other schools in your district. In the aftermath of the national attention that the Nathan Pemberton case has garnered, these banners and posters would put bullying in perspective in a way that students of all ages can easily understand.
Studies by the FBI, psychiatrists, and sociologists have clearly demonstrated that children who abuse animals are more likely to grow up to be violent adults. The peer-to-peer violence that has rocked communities across the U.S. in recent years has, in many cases, stemmed from perpetrators who have engaged in acts of cruelty to animals. As just one example among many, Columbine students Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold spoke of mutilating animals before shooting and killing 12 classmates and then turning the guns on themselves.
We also suggest holding an anti-bullying lecture series in your district, in which students and the community at large can come together to discuss ways to develop empathy for others, regardless of race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, or species. If you would like, PETA would be more than happy to send a speaker to talk with students about the importance of recognizing and reporting animal abuse and how it ties into school violence. Finally, please take a look at TeachKind.org—the Just Choices Curriculum Kit is designed to help students learn how their everyday choices affect others in society and to inspire them to take on issues with passionate civic engagement. We would be happy to send you the Just Choices materials.
Please contact me to discuss how to promote this potentially lifesaving message. Thank you for your consideration, and I hope to hear from you soon.
Sincerely,
Tracy Reiman
Executive Vice President