Many Colo. Students Afraid of Bullies

11/20/00

Visiting Colorado's 63 counties, state Attorney General Ken Salazar heard

first-hand the concerns of Colorado students about violence, bullying and

drug use, Reuters reported Nov. 16. The visits were part of Salazar's youth

violence initiative, launched after last year's Columbine High School

massacre.

During his visits, Salazar discovered that a number of students stay home

from school because they are afraid of bullying. "Five percent of students

in Colorado stay home one or more days every month, and in the Hispanic

community it's over 10 percent," he said.

Furthermore, Salazar said, 80 percent of students he met with raised their

hands when asked if they were aware of bullying in their schools. In several

cases, teachers and administrators denied there was a problem.

The state's safe-schools program is designed to provide Colorado's 1,500

schools with assistance for safety planning and to help communities identify

problems.

Salazar also recently announced a $10 million grant from the Colorado Trust

to establish after-school programs. He said he would ask the Colorado state

legislature to appropriate funds for a bullying-prevention program.