Anti-Bullying Efforts in PA Schools

State officials are touting a new study as proof that two new anti-bullying programs are succeeding at changing the "culture and climate" of some Pennsylvania schools.
The initiatives were launched about a year ago at some 200 elementary and middle schools across the commonwealth.
They're funded with a 2-point-3 million dollar grant from the
Highmark Foundation. Officials say reports of bullying at some of those schools have
dropped by as much as 15 percent.
Lynn Cromley, director of the Center for Safe Schools, says the two programs in question work by changing the culture at school...

"Specifically, they're identifying school rules that are acceptable,
they are providing avenues for kids to report bullying and they're
helping to create a climate of respect for all children."

A full study on the effectiveness of the initiatives is to be
released in November. Nationally, researchers say 160-thousand children skip school
each day due to fears related to bullying.