Bully Free Zone Declared at Benjamin Franklin School by Mayor and Local Organizations Working Together to End Bullying

Volunteers Help K-5th Grade Students Learn How to Stop Bullying

Anti-bullying Month Brings Groups Together; Part of National Mayors Campaign to End Bullying

MILWAUKEE, Wis. — Milwaukee Public Schools’ Benjamin Franklin School was declared a bully-free zone today as part of a volunteer effort to teach K – grade 5 students at the school how to prevent and stop bullying. As part of bullying prevention awareness month, Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett, more than a dozen Quarles & Brady attorneys and staff, and Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin staff visited classrooms to read books with an anti-bullying message, participate in projects teaching students how to stand up to bullying and provide students with ‘Bully Free Zone’ bracelets.

“Every school, every day, needs to be a bully-free zone. Today’s event was about raising awareness at Benjamin Franklin School and helping these youngest students learn what bullying is, how it feels, how to prevent and how to end it,” said Mayor Tom Barrett. “By bringing together local volunteers, teachers and school nurses, we were able to reach more than 280 students with a very age-appropriate and relevant message.”

Mayor Barrett is one of 220 Mayors nationwide supporting The Bully Project’s Mayors Campaign to End Bullying, which is sponsored by the U.S. Conference of Mayors. October is bullying prevention month nationwide.

For the second year in a row Quarles & Brady has focused its Quarles Cares community service program on anti-bullying. Nationwide the firm is involved in a variety of events throughout October, including the Benjamin Franklin School event and office fundraisers to support Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin’s Act Now! bullying prevention program.

“For every state, city, school and family, bullying is an issue,” said Kathie Buono, managing partner of Quarles & Brady’s Milwaukee office. “We all need to own it and know the role we can play in helping to end it. Our attorneys and staff here and at all of our offices are committed to this cause."

The school event was organized by Children’s Hospital, which also supports bullying prevention with Act Now!, its e-learning student curriculum and innovative staff training that help schools battle bullying by empowering bystanders and improving school climate. Act Now! is offered at no cost to Wisconsin schools.

“Children’s Hospital is committed to keeping kids in our community healthy and safe. That’s why we created Act Now! bullying prevention e-learning courses,” said Bridget Clementi, executive director, Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin Community Health and Education.

Children’s Hospital, MPS and Mayor Barrett are holding a variety of bullying prevention events to recognize October as Bullying Prevention Awareness month.

“Bullying is best addressed with increased awareness and helping every student understand the role they can play in preventing, reporting and ending bullying,” said Franklin School Principal Katrina Fisher. “Every day is a no bullying day at Franklin and across our district, but events like this help remind students of that commitment we have to each other.”

About Quarles & Brady and Quarles Cares:
Quarles & Brady LLP is a full-service law firm with more than 475 attorneys practicing from offices in Chicago; Indianapolis; Madison; Milwaukee; Naples, Florida; Phoenix; Tampa; Tucson; and Washington, D.C. Quarles Cares is a firm-wide effort to connect directly with local communities through hands-on volunteer initiatives. Additional information about the firm may be found at www.quarles.com and on Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook.

About Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin’s Act Now! program:
Act Now! is a continuum of bullying prevention courses that support and enhance Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS), are game-based, and align with National Health Education Standards. These fun and engaging programs for grades k4 through 8, developed in collaboration with the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction, teach kids how to keep their classrooms and school safe by creating a bully-free environment. Committed to families across Wisconsin, Children’s Hospital created a new online bullying education and prevention resource just for parents, ParentsActNow.com. ParentsActNow.com provides parents with valuable information and effective strategies.

About Milwaukee Public Schools:
Milwaukee Public Schools is committed to accelerating student achievement, building positive relationships between youth and adults and cultivating leadership at all levels. The district’s commitment to improvement continues to show results:

• More MPS students are meeting reading standards
• The MPS Class of 2014 earned $31 million in scholarships, up $7 million; and
• MPS is home to 4 of the state’s top 15 high schools according to U.S. News and World Report