U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan will discuss the White House Conference on Bullying Prevention during a national press call at 12:30 p.m. EST on Thursday, March 10. President Barack Obama, First Lady Michelle Obama, the U.S. Department of Education, and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services are coming together to welcome students, parents and teachers from communities across the country who have been affected by bullying and who are taking action to implement prevention techniques and make our schools and communities safe for all students.

On the call, Duncan will be joined by Kevin Jennings, assistant deputy secretary of the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools (OSDFS). OSDFS has led many of the Administration’s initiatives to help schools create healthy learning environments through its Safe and Supportive School grants program. The office has also initiated several discussions about the harmful impact of bullying and harassment on academic performance and the critical need to pursue prevention methods and programs to help protect students.

Note to editors: Members of the media who want to join the call should dial 800-230-1074 and ask to join the “White House call.”