According to media stories, bullying has increased in the Houston Independent School District.

The district says there were nearly 400 bullying reports in the 2015-2016 school year, up from 115 the year before.  District officials say the uptick could be the result of better reporting, but the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) believes even one bullying incident is one too many.  Studies quoted by ADL say 22% of students surveyed report being bullied, and 28% report being cyber-bullied in their lifetimes.

Bullies often pick on others they consider different, and bullying can be sparked by prejudice. That’s why ADL will help schools prevent that type of targeting and give students and educators the tools to respond to bullying at the 2016 Beau and Abe Merfish No Place for Hate® Youth Summit.

The Summit will bring together 300 middle school students and 70 educators from public, private and charter campuses to participate in anti-bullying activities.  Students will attend from the Cypress-Fairbanks ISD, Fort Bend ISD, Galveston ISD, Katy ISD, Klein ISD, Lamar Consolidated ISD, Spring ISD, Spring Branch ISD, and DRAW Academy and Emery Weiner school.

The Beau and Abe Merfish No Place for Hate® Youth Summit takes place from 9:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. November 18 at the University of Houston Law Center, 4604 Calhoun, Houston, TX  77004.

Students will start in Krost Hall where they will participate in ADL’s Step Up! Assembly designed to promote and support an inclusive and respectful school environment.  Step Up! helps students understand the different roles people play in bullying situations, the dynamics of typical incidents of bias and the range of responses available to them.

From the assembly, students will go into breakout sessions where they will participate in ADL’s A WORLD OF DIFFERENCE® Institute’s Becoming An Ally anti-bullying activities.

One breakout session will be available for coverage either right after the Step Up! Assembly at 9:45 a.m. or between 12:15 to 12:45 p.m.  Best breakout session coverage will occur in the afternoon session.

ADL’s partners in the Summit include: H-E-B Tournament of Champions, Marathon Oil, SNCF America, Spectra Energy, and Sysco.

Sponsors include University of Houston Law Center; Fund for the Future of the ADL Southwest Region; Rochelle, Alan, Julie and Scott Jacobson; University of Houston Graduate School of Social Work; and Jason’s Deli.

For more information or to set up coverage and an interview, contact Dena Marks at dmarks@adl.org,  or via cell at 832-567-8843.