ADL Applauds Expansion of Anti-Bullying Initiative in NYC Schools

Date: October 8, 2009

The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) today welcomed New York City's expansion of an initiative designed to counter bullying and harassment in public schools.

City officials announced the broadening of the "Respect for All" initiative, started in 2007 to make public schools safe and supportive for all students. The updated initiative introduces measures to train more teachers and hold principals more accountable for their anti-bullying plans.

"The expansion of the 'Respect for All' initiative demonstrates New York City's unwavering commitment to rooting out harassment and bullying in public schools," said Ron Meier, ADL New York Regional Director. "Schools should be safe and conducive learning environments, and no student should ever feel threatened in or outside the classroom, for any reason. We look forward to continuing to provide anti-bias and peer training programs to schools throughout the area."

The League also applauded City Council Speaker Christine Quinn's pledge to pursue increased funding for this important anti-bias initiative, which followed her joint announcement of the expansion with Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg and Schools Chancellor Joel I. Klein.

For decades, ADL has partnered with the Department of Education in creating, coordinating and delivering anti-bias and anti-bullying trainings to thousands of students and educators, and was invited by the department to be a lead partner in the "Respect for All" initiative.