October is National Bullying Prevention Month, and while today is Halloween and the end of October it’s a good time to remember that preventing bullying is something we need to do 365 days a year.

Bullying is a growing problem for an increasing number of kids. And with the rise of social networks, bullying is something that has spread beyond the hallways of schools. Cyberbullying has become an everyday part of life for many kids, and sometimes it leads to tragedy. But like with many other issues — the environment, the economy, disaster relief — kids across the country are taking on the problem by standing up against bullying in all its forms.

The Scholastic News Kids Press Corps is confronting the “bullying epidemic,” too. Earlier this month, the Stand Up to Bullying Special Report was launched to highlight how kids and adults are preventing bullying locally, nationally, and internationally. Kid Reporter Andrew Liang talked to teachers and the principal at his school about what they’re doing to prevent bullying. Topanga Sena talked to a girl who was bullied before becoming a bullying prevention advocate, as well as the girl’s father, who made headlines last year when he stood up for his daughter. Albert Ordonez contributed a blog post about his personal experience being bullied and how he stood up to it.

There are numerous other stories in the Stand Up to Bullying Special Report, and the collection will grow as more and more kids become active in bullying prevention and our Kid Reporters write more on the subject. There’s also a place on the Scholastic News Kids Press Corps Blog where kids can go to share their experiences with bullying and their ideas about how to stand up to bullies.

This is a Special Report worth bookmarking and coming back to from time to time. There are good, practical ideas in it to share with kids and adults alike, and there will be more stories added to it in the weeks and months ahead.

What do you think of the growing presence of bullying in kids’ lives? How do you think they should stand up to bullying? Were you ever bullied? How did you deal with it? Let us know in the comments section!

Photo: Katie Leclerc, Vanessa Marano, and Emily Osment show their support to help end online bullying at Seventeen magazine and ABC Family’s “Rally to Delete Digital Drama” at the Americana at Brand on July 14th. (ABC FAMILY/TODD WAWRYCHUK)