PRESS RELEASE

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

October 20, 2025

 

CONTACT:   
Ellie Sung (OHR) – 202-727-6407; [email protected]

 

OHR Improving Efforts to Combat Youth Bullying in the District

Family Workshops Slated to Address Community Questions

 

(WASHINGTON, DC) – The DC Office of Human Rights (OHR) is hosting a series of community meetings to help parents, guardians, and families learn how to address youth bullying.

 

OHR’s Youth Bullying Prevention Program, launched in 2013, strives to reduce bullying across DC by focusing on prevention, accountability, and education. The program regularly hosts training and informational sessions for schools, advocacy groups, and youth-serving organizations to ensure they understand their responsibilities under the law and how to respond to incidents effectively.

 

October is National Bullying Prevention Month and OHR will be hosting the following meetings to help better inform the community on resources available. Meetings are scheduled for:

 

• Wednesday, October 22, 2025, at 5:00 p.m. – Bellevue Family Success Center, located within Community of Hope (4 Atlantic Street, SW, Washington, DC, 20032)
• Thursday, October 23, 2025, at 6:00 p.m. – Kramer Middle School (1700 Q Street SE, Washington, DC, 20020)
• Monday, October 27, 2025, at 6:00 p.m. – Woodbridge Library (1801 Hamlin Street NE, Washington, DC, 20018)

 

To better streamline how bullying concerns are addressed in the District, OHR launched a new complaint questionnaire. The new form allows anyone over the age of 18 or a parent or guardian on behalf of a minor to file formal complaints against a youth-serving entity funded by the District that may have violated the Youth Bullying Prevention Act of 2012 (“the Act”) through mishandled investigations, retaliation against complainants, or failure to follow required procedures.

 

“This new questionnaire reflects OHR’s commitment to making the complaint process more accessible and less burdensome for families, and is responsive to concerns raised by the community,” said Elizabeth Fox-Solomon, OHR’s Interim Director. “This new approach gives families another option to take action when appropriate procedures aren’t followed.”

 

The new questionnaire is not intended for reporting individual incidents of bullying; rather, it serves as a tool for reporting to OHR when an entity may have failed in its responsibilities under the District’s Youth Bullying Prevention Act.

 

For instance, the following examples could be the subject of the formal complaint process:

• An organization funded by the District refuses to investigate a reported bullying incident
• An investigation is conducted poorly (e.g., not interviewing all parties involved or overlooking key details)
• A youth or their family faces retaliation after reporting a bullying incident
• An organization lacks a required bullying prevention policy or point of contact

 

For more information about the events, to request training, or to connect with the program, visit the link above or contact [email protected].

 

###

Follow us: