Siarra Garcia

100 Centre Mall Apt. 4C

Brooklyn, NY 11231

November 1^st, 2014

Mayor Bill de Blasio

City Hall

New York, NY 10007

Dear Mayor de Blasio,

I am writing you today to primarily applaud New York State on the implementation of the Dignity for all Students Act. Bullying is an issue I have always felt strongly about, especially as a New York City public school student for grades K-12. I believe the act is a step in the right direction to monitoring the behaviors of students in school, ensuring their safety and raising awareness to an issue that is often swept under the rug. However, I do feel that there are a few additions that should be made to the act’s amendments.

The act is not specific on how many times anti-bullying material should be incorporated into the curriculum. Should it be incorporated only once a year? Twice? I believe NYC public schools will greatly benefit from mandatory anti-bullying workshops and team building activities once a week.

Additionally, the act requires schools to report data at least once a year. In order to crack down on bullying, schools may benefit from mandatory reporting per semester. These reports should be made by both the student body and the faculty members.

Sincerely,

Siarra Garcia

New York City College of Technology Student