As reports of in-school and cyberbullying-related incidents continue to rise, the U.S. Department of Education is warning schools that tolerating or failing to adequately address ethnic, sexual or gender-based harassment could put them in violation of federal anti-discrimination laws. Additionally, results of a national survey released this week by the Josephson Institute Center for Youth Ethics revealed that nearly half of school-aged students were "bullied, teased or taunted in a way that seriously upset them in the past year."

Elizabeth Barton, Ph.D., associate professor in WSU's Irvin D. Reid Honors College and former associate director of Wayne State's Center for Peace and Conflict Studies, is available to comment on the topic and offer recommendations for schools, parents and community groups.

As a developmental psychologist specializing in socio-emotional development, Barton has served as a national consultant on school-based violence for more than a decade.  She is a specialized trainer, facilitator, and educator of diversity, conflict resolution, and violence-prevention issues.

She was a featured panelist on NBC's Today show following the Columbine tragedy. Barton is the author of Leadership Strategies for Safe Schools and Bullies and Their Victims: An Educator's Guide for Prevention and Intervention. She earned her Ph.D. and M.A. at Wayne State University and B.S. at the University of Michigan.

To schedule an interview with Barton, please call Francine Wunder at (313) 577-5699 or Rasheda Williams at (313) 577-8094.

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Wayne State University is a premier urban research university offering more than 400 academic programs through 13 schools and colleges to nearly 32,000 students.