BARKSDALE AIR FORCE BASE, La. -- According to the National Education Association, it is estimated that 160,000 children miss school every day due to fear of attack or intimidation by other students.

Bullying can affect the physical, mental and psychological health and the academic well-being of a child.

"In Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs, safety needs are second only to our physiological needs," said Sabrina Evans, Airman and Family Readiness Center Exceptional Family Member Program coordinator. "A safe environment serves as a strong foundation for a child's growth."

In a negative environment, the effects of bullying can lead to lowered self-esteem, a feeling of loneliness and depression. In some cases, it may also lead to suicidal thoughts and even children attempting to harm themselves.

"Let's change our current environment to reflect a more positive, communicative, nurturing and loving course of action within the family, schools and community in an effort to combat bullying," said Stephanie Reyes, A&FRC chief.

Bullying is a learned behavior; therefore, a bully often needs support and coaching to overcome their aggressive characteristics.

"All children and youth need and deserve to be physically and emotionally safe wherever they are, whether that be in homes, schools, neighborhoods or communities as well as online," said Evans. "They need safe places that offer constructive use of time."

The A&FRC has a variety of different tools and classes that can equip Team Barksdale with the knowledge to be pro-active in stopping or preventing bullying.

"We provide educational programs to assist Airmen and their families with mission readiness, resiliency and well-being within the community," said Evans.

The A&FRC will also be holding an anti-bullying conference Aug. 22 at 5:30 p.m. in the Chapel 2 Annex.

The conference will discuss the current trends of bullying in the school environment and programs and policies in place to combat bullying.

"The topics of discussion will be the best practices in preventing bullying from the onset, assisting parents in creating measureable outcomes to combat the behavior and to provide examples of strategies that work," said Evans.

For more information about the conference, contact the A&FRC at 456-8400.