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Maryland Governor Urges Students To Fight Bullying

By: Armando Trull // October 6, 2011
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A clip from a video public service announcement on bullying released by Maryland First Lady Katie O'Malley last month. Later today, she and Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley will make a pledge to fight bullying during an appearance at Arundel High School.
A clip from a video public service announcement on bullying released by Maryland First Lady Katie O'Malley last month. Later today, she and Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley will make a pledge to fight bullying during an appearance at Arundel High School.

Maryland is one of seven states in the country that has enacted anti-bullying laws. Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley and his wife, Katie O'Malley, have been outspoken on the issue, and they both will continue their efforts to stop the abuse later today.

October is National Bullying Prevention Month, and the O'Malleys will be taking a pledge to stand up to bullies during an event at Arundel High School. In a recent public service announcement, Katie O’Malley spoke about how social networks, the internet, and cellphones have changed the face of bullying.

"As parents, we’ve seen firsthand how serious the issue can be and how it can affect a child’s ability to learn," Katie O'Malley says in the video. "The abuse no longer stops at the schoolyard, but now the bullies have access to their targets 24 hours a day. The results are devastating."

The governor and first lady will take the "Stop Bullying: Speak Up" pledge and encourage students, parents and others to do the same at Arundel High later today. They will be joined by executives from Facebook and the Cartoon network at today’s event.

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