Ankeny Schools Target Bullies

Ankeny Community Schools plan to open a bullying hotline that would allow students to report bullies anonymously as part of a larger action plan to prevent and fight bullying.

 “We need a mechanism for kids to report bullying if they aren’t comfortable doing it in person,” Matt Adams, an assistant superintendent for Ankeny schools said in a prepared statement. “We know that bullying is under-reported. We know that one reason it’s under-reported is that kids are scared to report. So we want it to be anonymous and user-friendly.”

Information collected would be disseminated to school principals who would then investigate the reports.

The district also plans to raise awareness of the issue, create an anti-bullying resource page on the Infinite Campus, increase communication about the plan with parents and post signs to remind students, staff and businesses to support bullying prevention.

“It’s a front-burner issue now, it’s becoming a part of the way we live,” Adams said in the media release. “It’s all about education and taking a stand.”

Ankeny schools derived the plan after forming a Bullying and Harassment Task Force in 2012-12.

The district plans to begin the plan's implementation this month. And Ankeny Mayor Gary Lorenz has proclaimed October as Ankeny Bullying Prevention Month.

See: Ankeny Middle Schooler Tackles Bullying in Prize-Winning Video …