NEWBURGH – Congressman Sean Patrick Maloney (D, NY18) held his second annual bullying prevention summit on Saturday in Newburgh and had a group of guest speakers, including the organization STAT, (Students Taking Action Together), address the different aspects of bullying and the preventions of it.
Maloney kicked off the summit talking about how bullying is a problem within our community. This issue hits close to home for him.
“As you know, I have a family that is a little different,” Maloney. “So I don’t just care about this issue, I depend on people caring about this issue so that my family and my kids are accepted just like so many of you and so many people you know and care about.”
The congressman said kids need to be able to feel safe, especially when they are at school.
“We all depend on having adults and having educators who make it a priority to keep children safe at school and if there is anything more fundamental to learning then your physical safety I don’t know what it would be. The idea that kids go to school and try to learn while they are trying to defend themselves, while they are trying to be free from harm is something that should just be unacceptable to us.”
It is important that we, as a community come together and try to put an end to bullying, Maloney said. He stressed that it is also important that our youth learn the negative aspects of bullying. Kids helping other kids combat bullying can be very powerful and influential. The younger generation can ultimately help put an end to bullying, he said.
“There is nothing my office is going to do at the end of the day than individual kids talking to their friends saying this is something that has to change, than kids going to educators saying things aren’t right here at school. I really believe that there are some issues that adults need young people to lead us on and this is one of them.”
Maloney brought his 14-year-old daughter, Daley, on the stage and they talked about how she and her friends are doing what they can to raise the awareness of bullying.
Maloney is pushing the Dignity for All Students Act and the Safe Students Act, both targeted to end discrimination based on people’s differences. The congressman said differences should be embraced and that we can all benefit from our differences.
