Title
Receive an oral presentation from the Monterey County Health Department, Public Health Bureau and the Monterey County Office of Education on the status of bullying prevention efforts in Monterey County.
Report
RECOMMENDATION:
It is recommended that the Board of Supervisors:
Receive an oral presentation from the Monterey County Health Department, Public Health Bureau and the Monterey County Office of Education on the status of bullying prevention efforts in Monterey County.
SUMMARY/DISCUSSION:
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services reports that between 1 in 4 and 1 in 3 U.S. students say they have been bullied at school. Nationally, adolescent suicides related to bullying have drawn attention to this important issue. Locally, experience with bullying has prompted some agencies that work with children to explore opportunities to better describe bullying and to prevent it from happening.
In 2013, during an annual report by the Monterey County Mental Health Commission to the Board of Supervisors, a Board member expressed concern about bullying in Monterey County and inquired about the status of efforts to prevent bullying. In response, the Commission initiated efforts to better understand bullying and the impact it has on children. The Commission formed a Bullying Subcommittee to begin to better understand the issue. In time, the Commission began working with the Monterey County Health Department (MCHD) to identify data on bullying and the impact of local efforts to prevent and reduce bullying. Most recently, MCHD began to work more closely with the Monterey County Office of Education (MCOE) to identify additional data that more accurately reflects the status of bullying and the impact of efforts to prevent and reduce bullying both in and out of school settings. The MCHD and MCOE have subsequently presented its findings to the Mental Health Commission as well as the Monterey County Monterey County Board of Education.
In this report, Dr. Ed...
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