October is National Bullying Prevention Month. According to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), in 2019 roughly 22% of students between the age of 12 and 18 reported being bullied during the school year. Since bullying impacts the bully, the bullied, and even those around them, curbing bullying is at the forefront of school safety and promoting a positive school climate. Bullying causes low self-esteem, impacts health and wellness, and can produce relationship issues with friends and family, among other effects. Additionally, according to the NCES, bullied students have higher percentages of fearing harm, skipping school, skipping class, avoiding school activities, avoiding certain areas in school, fighting, and carrying a weapon to school.

To help prevent and stop bullying, the Illinois School and Campus Safety Resource Center includes resource pages on K-12 Bullying and Cyberbullying, and resource pages on Higher Education Bullying and Cyberbullying, which link to resources including Stomp Out Bullying, Pacer's National Bullying Prevention Center, Stopbullying.gov, and more.

There's still time to register for the "Preparing for the Unimaginable: An In-Depth Look at Wellness, Trauma Recovery, and Resilience" class on October 15, 2021, from 8:30 am to 12:30 pm via Zoom. This class is for both K-12 schools and Institutions of Higher Education, as well as law enforcement and other school and campus safety stakeholders. For more information and to register, click here.

There's still time to register for the "Campus Threat Assessment and Management" class with Dr. Gene Deisinger on October 19-20 at Wheaton College in Wheaton, IL. This two-day workshop for institutions of higher education will help participants to better understand the dynamics of targeted violence and to develop and enhance strategies for early identification, assessment, and intervention with concerning situations. For more information and to register, click here.

The Illinois School and Campus Safety Program is pleased to announce the class "Railroad Safety for First Responders, Educators, and School Bus Drivers" will be held via Zoom on October 27th from 9am-12pm. The Railroad Safety class covers the challenges that frontline responders and school staff are faced with when responding to an incident on or near railroad property. This 3-hour class will prepare all involved (bus drivers, school administrators, law enforcement, first responders, etc.) and will provide responding individuals the correct tools to safely navigate the unfamiliar environment of the railroad. For more information and to register, click here.

The Illinois School and Campus Safety Program is pleased to announce a session of the "Digital Threat Assessment" training through Safer Schools Together will be held on October 26, 2021, via Zoom. The goal of the Digital Threat Assessment class is to give attendees a stronger understanding of the current social media world, provide tools to be able to proactively identify student safety concerns, and provide strategies for dealing with online situations as they arise. For more information and to register, click here.

The Illinois School and Campus Safety Program is pleased to announce a session of the "Advanced Digital Threat Assessment" training through Safer Schools Together will be held on October 29, 2021, via Zoom. Building upon the Digital Threat Assessment class, this class will leave participants with a concrete understanding of how to find and curate relevant digital information as is typically represented in a real-life digital threat assessment data gathering scenario. Major engagement and hands-on practice will take place. For more information and to register, click here.