Assemblyman William Colton (D—Gravesend, Bensonhurst, Bath Beach and Dyker Heights) was among the speakers at a forum on bullying held at the Chinese American Social Service Center on Wednesday, November 1.

Assemblyman Colton sponsored the educational forum for parents in conjunction with CASS. It was held at CASS’s office, 124 Avenue O.

In addition to Assemblyman Colton, speakers included representatives of the Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office, the Office of Parent Engagement at Seth Low Intermediate School and the Federation of Italian American Organizations, and youth officers from the 62^nd Precinct.

Assemblyman Colton spoke to the parents in attendance about the antibullying law that New York State originally passed in 2010, The Dignity for All Students Law, whose goal, according to the New York State Department of Education, is “to provide the State’s public elementary and secondary school students with a safe and supportive environment free from discrimination, intimidation, taunting, harassment, and bullying on school property, a school bus and/or at a school function.”

“We want to encourage parents to be aware of the issue of bullying, to be able to recognize the signs that their child is being bullied, and also of the various avenues they can pursue if their child has been bullied,” Assemblyman Colton explained.

“Observe your child carefully,” he advised. “If you see indications that bullying may be occurring – bruises or an unwillingness to go to school – you need to find out what is happening.”

How the matter is handled, Assemblyman Colton stressed, depends on where it arose. If a child is bullied at school, parents should immediately let school administrators, guidance counselors or school safety officers know, Assemblyman Colton said. If an incident occurs outside the school, and poses an imminent threat, he went on, they should call 911 to report it – at the time of the incident, not later.

It’s better to be safe than sorry, Assemblyman Colton added. “If you’re in doubt as to whether you should contact the police, you should make the call,” he said.

If an incident of cyberbullying occurs, Assemblyman Colton said, it is considered to be an aggravated crime, and penalties can be more severe.

Noting that the forum arose out of the recent incident in the schoolyard of IS 201, Assemblyman Colton said, “Being alert to early signs of bullying can help prevent incidents like that one. I urge parents to be proactive to try to ensure that such incidents do not happen in the future.”