Thousands of Los Angeles-area students were bused downtown Tuesday to view a screening of the documentary film “Bully,” which focuses on the issue of bullying in schools.
“There is no place for bullying in L.A. schools, and as teachers, parents, administrators and students, we all share the responsibility to stand up and say enough is enough,” Los Angeles Unified School District Superintendent John Deasy said. “With middle schools and high schools representing every corner of LAUSD in attendance, the movement to end bullying in LAUSD continues today.”
The students were taken to the Nokia Theater in downtown Los Angeles for a screening of the film, which was followed by a “town hall” style discussion about the issue.
“Bully” has garnered a large amount of media attention in recent weeks, beginning with the battle over the R rating it initially received from the Motion Picture Association of America. Officials with the Weinstein Co., the film’s distributor, and anti-bullying advocates protested the rating, saying it would prevent a large number of young students from being able to see it.
The film was eventually re-edited, earning it a PG-13 rating.
“Bully” follows a handful of students who are victimized by bullying and focuses on responses by teachers and school administrators to the problem.
Today’s screening was organized in part by the nonprofit L.A. Fund for Public Education.
“We want to challenge students to be agents of change by taking action in their schools and ensuring that their peers aren’t allowed to be victims of bullying,” said L.A. Fund board chair Megan Chernin. “We believe these students can start a districtwide movement to ensure all students can learn without fear of physical and emotional abuse.”
