Dallas Addresses Bullying with In-School Program

DALLAS, Oct. 28, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- The Dallas Police Department, working with the Dallas Independent School District Verizon Wireless and CONTACT, started the Blue in the School program October 7 in 13 Dallas ISD elementary schools. The program is to provide life skills to 4^th-grade students to help them navigate through life's difficult choices and become the leaders of tomorrow.

The program, which includes a four-week curriculum, covers six pillars of character and will be taught by Dallas police officers.  The six pillars are respect, trustworthiness, responsibility, fairness, caring and citizenship.  

Dallas Police Chief David Brown said that the program aims to "prevent negative behaviors among students by developing and implementing specifically tailored, age-appropriate curriculum to instill life-long skills for healthy decision-making, problem-solving, negative peer pressure reversal, conflict management and character development."

Verizon Wireless is partnering with CONTACT, a local crisis support organization, to present the respect pillar in two of the selected schools.  Their focus is on bullying prevention.

Each of the schools will also participate in a HopeLine drive throughout the Blue in the School program. HopeLine, a national program at Verizon, collects used cell phones from any wireless carrier to be recycled or donated to domestic violence agencies.  The HopeLine phones have served as a lifeline for domestic violence survivors, as they try to rebuild their lives.

At the end of the Blue in the School program, the school that collects the most devices for HopeLine will win a class party and celebration from Verizon Wireless.  Every student from the 13 participating schools will receive a certificate of participation and a small token from Verizon Wireless.

About Verizon Wireless
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SOURCE Verizon Wireless