KIRBY, Texas – Keeping kids safe by putting a stop to the bullying -- that's the goal of the SABULLYFREE Campaign.
The campaign has been making stops at schools around San Antonio to spread the message:
I will keep my community bully free.
I will report all bully acts to the proper authority.
I will not be a bully.
I will be nice.
Hundreds of students at Kirby Middle School on Wednesday took that anti-bullying oath.
"Ultimately, every principal wants a safe campus," Jerome Johnson, principal of Kirby Middle School, said. "I want every kid to feel comfortable. I want every kid to reach their highest potential. I want them to learn and I want them to feel happy about coming to school."
SABULLYFREE Campaign founder Epi Quiroga engaged the sixth-, seventh- and eighth-graders in hopes of putting a stop to bully behavior in the community.
Quiroga started the campaign in honor of his late brother, Robert "Pikin" Quiroga, San Antonio's first world champion boxer, who he says was killed by his "middle school bully."
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"He was murdered in 2004 by his middle school bully," said Quiroga. "(He) followed him all his life and killed him at 32 years old. So I just saw a lot of hate in our community and wanted to do something about it."
Students at Kirby also received anti-bullying tags, a reminder of the oath and, simply, just to be nice to each other.
"It's just encouraging," Kirby City Council member Roger Romens said. "Seeing the future of the community, being given the positive message that's being portrayed here in the anti-bullying,"
And with the new legislative session underway, Quiroga is hoping lawmakers will push to get anti-bullying legislation passed like David's Law, which would give schools the power to punish cyberbullies.
"If that happens, we can go after the cyber-bullies," said Quiroga. "We can go after the guys sitting behind the computer, putting fake names in there. That's what it's all about. You got to take ownership. You can't be hiding behind that computer anymore."
Also taking the oath on Wednesday were members of the San Antonio City Council. During a short presentation on Wednesday afternoon, council members received anti-bullying tags.
The SABULLYFREE Campaign's next presentation is set for Jan. 31 at the School of Science and Technology.