______
INVITATION TO MEETING -
NJ COALITION FOR BULLYING AWARENESS AND PREVENTION
A meeting of NJ Coalition will be held on Monday, November 3rd (9am-1pm)
at the NJ State Bar Foundation in New Brunswick. The scheduling of the meeting
reflects the planned start of the new state Commission (on Bullying in Schools)
process - the first Commission meeting will have taken place two weeks before
the Coalition meets. The purpose of the Coalition meeting is help support the
ongoing efforts of key state organizations which address bullying, through
information and networking. The meeting will feature a talk by Dr. Michael Greene on the issues confronting development of a NJ initiative on bullying, as well as expert reviews of NJ legal and education issues.
9am: Breakfast/Networking
9:30: Welcome/Introduction: Leisa-Anne Smith, NJ State Bar Foundation;
Stuart Green, Director, NJ Coalition
10am: School Bullying: Where We Are and Should Be - Michael Greene
10:30: Education Issues Impacting Bullying - Philip Brown, Bradford Lerman
11am: Break
11:15: Law and Advocacy for Bullied Children - Frank Vespa-Papaleo, Jerry Tanenbaum
11:45: Q and A with presenters
12:30: Lunch w Organization Updates
1pm: Networking/Small Group - Optional
Presenters
Leisa-Anne Smith, an attorney, is Director of Conflict Resolution and Teasing
and Bullying Programs for NJ State Bar Foundation. A member of the
Commission on Bullying in Schools, she is a major provider of training on
bullying and related problems for NJ school administrators and staff.
Stuart Green is a psychotherapist and medical educator who directs training
in behavioral science at Overlook Hospital/Atlantic Health. Founder of NJ
Coalition for Bullying Awareness and Prevention, Dr. Green is a member of
the Commission on Bullying in Schools.
Michael Greene, research advisor to the Coalition and a developmental
psychologist, is Director of Violence Prevention at The Nicholson Foundation.
Dr. Greene previously established the Center for the Prevention of Violence
at Youth Consultation Service and was founding director of the Violence Institute
at UMDNJ.
Philip Brown is Director of the Center for Social and Character Development at
Rutgers University, which conducts federally sponsored research and provides
technical assistance to NJ schools. After years of consultation and work at NJ
Department of Education, Dr. Brown played the key role in obtaining federal
funding for state-wide development of character education programs in NJ schools,
and established NJ Center for Character Education at Rutgers.
Bradford Lerman, an organizational psychologist, is Director for the Safe and
Drug-Free Schools and Communities Project at Rutgers, a project of the NJDOE
which provides training and technical assistance to NJ schools. Previously Dr.
Lerman served as manager of evaluation services for the NJ Center for Character
Education.
Frank Vespa-Papaleo is Director of NJ Division on Civil Rights. His ground-breaking
decision in the LW case and subsequent Court affirmations strengthened protections
for bullied children and raised parent and community expectations for addressing of
bullying by schools. He is a member of the Commission on Bullying in Schools.
Jerry Tanenbaum is a private attorney at Schnader Harrison Segal & Lewis LLP in
Cherry Hill, NJ, who specializes in education issues and advocacy for children with
special needs.
Please RSVP if you are planning to attend the meeting, by email ()
or by calling (908) 522-2581. If you are aware of an organization concerned about childhood bullying, which may not have received this invitation, please feel free to pass this invitation along - however, the organization should RSVP if planning to attend. If you have any question, contact Stuart Green directly at (908) 522-2581 or visit www.njbullying.org.