Gordon Clay here. October is National Bullying Prevention Month. I will be at the grocery entrance of Fred Meyer this Sunday, from 10 to 4. I would like to connect with any parent who (1) has a child who has been bullied in the local school system or (2) has taken a child out of the System partially or mainly due to bullying or (3) just wants to do something to reduce the level of bullying in our schools AND community.

This year over 13 million American kids will be bullied making it the most common form of violence young people experience. The 2012 Oregon Student Wellness Survey reported that over half of Brookings 6th, 8th and 11th graders were bullied sometime during the 30 days before the survey. Over 28% of the students actually admitted to bullying someone physically or verbally during that period and 12 to 16% had been threatened with a weapon on school grounds.

69% to 77% were bystanders when another student was being hit, kicked, punched or hurt by another student. Six to 15% considered suicide and 4 to 6% actually attempted suicide in the 12 months proceeding the survey.

On Friday, October 4 at the free First Friday Salon, I will be showing the movie "Bully" at 6pm in the Chetco Public Library.

This is an intimate and often shocking glimpse into homes, classrooms, cafeterias, buses and principals' offices. It's a powerful and inspiring film that every educator, parent and teenager should see.

Handouts will be available on "How to report bullying", "How to be an Upstander, not just a Bystander", and a resource list.

Are there similarities between our school system and the schools portrayed in this documentary? Come see and let's talk about it. Afterall, the end of bullying begins with you.