Civil Rights Assistant Secretary to Testify at Sen. Harkin's Field Hearing on Bullying-Free Schools

Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights Russlynn Ali will provide the lead-off testimony at a full field hearing chaired by U.S. Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, on the topic of “Bullying-Free Schools: How Local, State and Federal Efforts Can Help” Friday in Des Moines.

The field hearing of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee will take place at Des Moines’ East High School beginning at 1:15 p.m. Details and a list of witnesses are posted at the committee’s Web site. Click here to view.

The Education Department and other federal agencies have collaborated for a one-stop resource on bullying prevention at http://www.stopbullying.gov/. The site encourages children, parents, educators, and communities to take action to prevent bullying, and provides a map with detailed information on state laws and policies, interactive videos for young people, practical strategies for schools and communities to ensure safe environments, and suggestions on how parents can talk about this sensitive subject with their children.

As assistant secretary, Ali heads the Office for Civil Rights, a position she has held since 2009. Her office works to ensure equal access to education and promote educational excellence throughout the nation through vigorous enforcement of civil rights. For more information, see http://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/index.html, Facebook.com/EDCivilRights or follow on Twitter (@Edcivilrights).