FIRST LADY KATIE O’MALLEY TO HOST “BULLY” FILM PREMIERE

First Lady to join U.S. Department of Education, renowned author and bullying expert Rosalind Wiseman, students, parents, educators and administrators for premiere screening and town hall discussion

ANNAPOLIS, MD (April 10, 2012) –On Thursday, April 12th, at 7:00 p.m., Governor and First Lady O’Malley will join Acting Director of the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Safe and Healthy Students David Esquith, renowned author and bullying expert Rosalind Wiseman, students, parents, educators and administrators for a premiere screening of the film “Bully” followed by a town hall discussion on the effects of bullying in Maryland’s schools and communities.

Though Maryland is the seventh state to enact an anti-bullying law that protects all students, there are still many instances of bullying throughout our communities and schools, and too many of them go unreported. The Administration is committed to improving reporting systems, and educating Marylanders about the effects of bullying.

Every year, the First Lady partners with the Maryland State Department of Education to declare Bullying Awareness and Prevention Week in May to encourage schools across the State to engage students in events to stress non-tolerance towards bullying. The Governor and First Lady have partnered with Facebook and Time Warner’s Cartoon Network to encourage Maryland to speak up about bullying. The First Lady also recorded a video for the It Gets Better campaign to give hope to LGBT youth and other young people facing bullying and harassment.