Maryland's First Lady declares: No more bullying in school

Pikesville, MD - Being bullied is hard on any kid. When it happens in school, it can affect how students perform in the classroom.

State leaders are stepping up to stop bullying in schools across Maryland.

Students at Pikesville Middle School welcomed a special guest to start off the week. First Lady Katie O'Malley visited with students to kick off Maryland's bullying awareness and prevention week. It's a statewide initiative to educate students and teachers about the dangers of bullying and how it keep it out of the classroom.

The First Lady talked to students about how to prevent bullying and what to do if you are bullied. O’Malley says, "If you're afraid to confront the bully what you can is go to your principal, go to the assistant principal, go to the homeroom teacher, or talk to your parents. You can't let the bullies win, you never can let the bullies win."

Students say bullying is a real problem, it’s something they see happening way too often. 7th grader Anthony Horodowicz says, "Nowadays kids who don't deserve it are getting picked on by bigger kids who think they're better than them and it's not right."

7th grader Christina So says, "I feel really sad for them because they didn't even do anything to the bullies and they're still getting beat up."

For students like Jordan Greenberg, the first lady's message is giving her courage to stand up to bullies the next time she sees someone get hurt.

At Pikesville Middle, they have a motto called the Pikesville way. It's reinforced through lesson plans three times a week and teaches students about proper behavior. Jordan says, "Even though people may not realize it, it really helps people a lot during the week and it tells people a lot about what they need to learn."

Officials say bullying affects middle school students the most.