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WHEREAS thirty two percent of young people have been bullied at least once and twelve percent have been bullied five times or more in the past month; and
WHEREAS teenagers are two times more likely than others to be victims of violent crime; and
WHEREAS the safety and well-being of many students, teachers, and school staff are unnecessarily jeopardized each day by crime and violence, and far too frequently we hear about instances of substance abuse, gang activity, bullying, poor discipline, vandalism, and violence in our schools; and
WHEREAS the district is committed to mobilize all available resources to provide a safe learning and orderly and working environment for all students and employees; and
WHEREAS youth have taken a proactive role in schools and communities to prevent violence; and
WHEREAS youth have always risen to the call of their fellow classmates, and now, the call is louder than ever; and
WHEREAS the people of our country are concerned with the level of violence in our schools and communities which is one of the reasons for the Manchester Students Against Violence Via Education Campaign.
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NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Council of the City of Pittsburgh does hereby declare the week of May 11-15, 2009 as "Students Against Violence Week" and encourages all school stake-holders to unite in action to decrease the potential for violence in our schools and communities by promoting meaningful student involvement, education, and service opportunities in efforts to provide safer environments for learning.