Center City Public Charter School. Photo by rockcreek.

A D.C. agency has partnered with an international human rights group to prevent bullying in D.C. public and charter schools.

The Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice and Human Rights and the D.C. Office of Human Rights announced today they will partner to assist schools and government agencies “develop and implement bullying prevention policies.” They will use a policy assessment tool created by the RFK Center and the Safe School Certification Program “to provide tailored guidance on policy implementation, data collection, and building positive climates for youth,” according to a press release.

The program was first reported by the Washington Blade.

“The District has made immense strides in the last year to protect our youth through the work of the Citywide Bullying Prevention Task Force, and this is another significant step toward that goal,” Mayor Vincent C. Gray said in a press release. “The partnership between D.C. government and the RFK Center will prove to be invaluable in providing the tools and data necessary for schools and agencies to implement policies that can most effectively prevent the bullying of the youth they serve.”

Last year, Gray signed the Youth Bullying Prevention Act. It established a Youth Bullying Task Force, which was tasked with creating an anti-bullying policy for D.C. agencies to use that will got into effect this September.