Iowa kids and parents can now report cases of school bullying on a new website. Michael Bowser with the Eychaner Foundation says the information entered into the online submission form is sent directly to the authorities in the child’s school district and a copy is kept on file with his nonprofit organization.
Bowser says at the end of the year, they will submit a report to the Iowa legislature detailing the number of cases and the types of incidents that are occurring. “Our ultimate goal is to end bullying,” Bowser said. “We’re hopeful that we will be able to better document and create a picture of what the state looks like as far as bullying and then go from there in terms of what resources we might need.”
Currently, Iowa school districts are required by law to submit the number of bullying incidents that occur in their annual report. But, Bowser said too often districts report zero cases. “The simple fact is that I know, you know, that there is at least one kid in every school district that’s being bullying in the entire year. Zero is very clearly not true,” Bowser said.
The online submission form consists of 20 questions. The website is www.reportbullyingiowa.com.