CINCINNATI — Beginning May 7, students throughout the Cincinnati area are getting a special opportunity to view the just-released anti-bullying documentary “Bully,” thanks to an initiative founded by The Weinstein Company and supported by Cincinnati-based First Student.
First Student, North America’s largest provider of student transportation, is working alongside the filmmakers of “Bully” on “The Bully Project: 1 Million Kids” campaign. The goal of this campaign is to help change behavior in schools by providing free access to the movie in theaters within an educational framework. First Student is driving students to and from special screenings of the movie in key markets across the country. Every weekday through May 18, approximately 30 First Student buses will transport Cincinnati Public School students to 10:30 a.m. screenings of the film at the Newport on the Levee AMC Theatre.
“The Bully Project: 1 Million Kids” campaign offers young people access to the film “Bully” – currently showing in theaters nationwide – providing a safe space to experience and reflect on the stories in the film. Through 1 Million Kids, educators receive free materials and training focused on preventing bullying and promoting empathy.
“We are extremely proud to be involved in the 1 Million Kids campaign and we believe strongly in its goals,” said Linda Burtwistle, president of First Student. “At First Student, we are focused on ending bullying in our nation’s schools and are working hard to empower our drivers to make a real difference.”
First Student has made it a priority to be a leader in the nation’s anti-bullying efforts. This school year, the company launched a new anti-bullying safety campaign for all of its drivers and attendants. The campaign, called “See Something. Do Something.” is based on a campaign created by the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Safe and Drug Free Schools, and is customized for First Student’s more than 59,000 bus drivers.