On August 24, 2018, the New York Jets and STOMP Out Bullying, held the third annual Jets Tackle Bullying Educators Symposium presented by Municipal Credit Union. More than 250 educators along with parents from across the tri-state area attended the trailblazing event at MetLife Stadium.
Hosted by Alice Gainer, CBS 2’s anchor, the symposium included a keynote address from School culture expert James A. Budzilek, Ed. D., Director of Education at Education Development Software.
A panel discussion that focused on bullying and cyberbullying and small group of parents and educators worked together to agree on best practices. The interactive panel was moderated by James Budzilek and included Ross Ellis, founder and CEO of STOMP Out Bullying; Dr. Jeff Gardere, Board Certified Clinical Psychologist and Assistant Professor at Touro College; Ira Levy, attorney and Board member, STOMP Out Bullying whose son had been bullied in school, Anthony Harmon, Assistant to the President of the United Federation of Teachers and football legend Tony Richardson.
“Raising awareness is the first step, and while we are proud of the work we have done so far, there is always more to do,” said Jets President Neil Glat. “With our partners, STOMP Out Bullying and MCU, our third annual Jets Tackle Bullying Symposium will help us continue our efforts to provide tools, information, and support to local educators and Upstanders in their fight against bullying.”
The Jets are proud to once again include Municipal Credit Union (MCU) in the Jets Tackle Bullying campaign which aims to create awareness about a national issue that impacts every community by reaching educators and students in the tri-state area through school visits, annual educator symposiums, and weekly programs that celebrate students who are working to resolve bullying in their schools. With the MCU partnership, Jets Tackle Bullying school visits reaches all five NYC boroughs.
"MCU is honored to join the Jets and STOMP Out Bullying to eradicate bullying in our schools and community," said MCU Acting President/CEO Norman Kohn. "We're particularly proud to help expand this successful initiative into all New York City public schools so that the more than 130,000 employees of the NYC public school system can access the tools and insights this program provides to tackle bullying."
Founder and CEO of STOMP Out Bullying, Ross Ellis added, “STOMP Out Bullying is honored to join the Jets and MCU in the ongoing Jets Tackle Bullying campaign. We could not ask for better partners. We have made great strides in educating the educators and look forward to continuing this program to stop bullying behaviors. Getting schools to commit to the Upstander program is the perfect way to get both educators and students working together to create an understanding of the proper behaviors students should have towards their fellow students.”
Through the organization’s collaboration with STOMP Out Bullying, the Jets and MCU have made available a Jets branded STOMP Out Bullying Educator’s Prevention Toolkit at no cost to schools in the tri-state area. This toolkit enables educators to create meaningful dialogue, educate students through proven Social Emotional Learning methods, adopt character building in schools and involve both students and faculty in working together to change school climate.
left: Jesse Linder, Dr. Jeff Gardere, James A. Budzilek, Ross Ellis, Anthony Harmon, Ira Levy. Right: Footbal Legend Tony Richardson.
During the event, the Jets welcomed Municipal Credit Union (MCU) to the Jets Tackle Bullying campaign with STOMP Out Bullying. With the MCU partnership, Jets Tackle Bullying school visits will expand through all five NYC boroughs.
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