For decades now, schools have been organizing assemblies to address bullying, substance abuse, and a variety of other student issues. Perhaps like me, you remember sitting through them during middle or high school and – unfortunately – tuning out because you just didn’t feel like you could connect with the speaker. When it came to the assemblies about bullying, I remember thinking to myself, “yes, we all realize that it’s wrong to be mean to others, but nothing really is going to change at my school, and so why even bother?” I admit that was quite a defeatist mentality, but I’ll blame it in large part on my disillusioned, angst-ridden adolescent self.
Anyway, I do clearly remember a couple of more inspirational speakers who gave presentations at my schools – and while they weren’t at all about bullying, I did find them compelling, hopeful, motivating, and even instructive. And I didn’t feel like I was being preached or lectured to. That showed me I could be reached – it just really seemed to depend on the quality of the content, the tone of the message, the level at which I was spoken to, and the relatability of what was conveyed. The bottom line is that there is value in assembly programs, but their selection and implementation requires significant consideration and forethought.
The Assembly as a Bullying Solution
Since schools know that bullying and cyberbullying is a problem on their campus and want to do something about it, scheduling an assembly is often the very first idea that comes to their mind. It makes sense, because they seem to be an easy-to-implement solution. Typically, a school has a budget, they find a speaker (or just have one of their staff members do it), they schedule the day and time, and they bring that person in to do his/her thing in the auditorium, gymnasium, or cafeteria. This takes a lot less time and effort than all that is actually needed to make a true difference. But at least it is something.
To be sure, there are a ton of options available for schools in this space. Just do a Google search for “bullying assembly” or “cyberbullying assembly,” and you’ll find pages and pages of people, many of whom are self-described “experts” (perhaps they are, I have no idea). Many educators also receive unsolicited emails from speakers, encouraging them to check out their web sites and skillsets, and consider hiring them to talk to their students. The speakers’ web sites describe what makes their particular talks engaging, interactive, and motivating, and most provide testimonials describing the benefit the assemblies provided to the school and attendant students. All of this is good. Really good. There is definitely a need to reach kids with a gripping and powerful message that cultivates empathy, induces intentional kindness and respect towards one’s peers, and equips them to know exactly what to do if they – or someone they know – is being targeted. And there is definitely a need for many speakers to be out there doing their part to help. However, there are three points which we want to make to help inform your implementation:
1. Assemblies must be used as a single piece of a much broader effort.
While a bullying assembly does have some value, we cannot emphasize strongly enough that a “one and done” strategy will fall short and ring painfully hollow in time – even if it is the most heart-rending or entertaining or memorable or impressive or convicting talk your youth have ever heard in their entire lives. Students need more. Bullying prevention initiatives in schools can have assemblies as part of their programming, but the evaluation research consistently points to more substantive characteristics being necessary, such as information sent home to parents, requests for parents to attend meetings (so as to get them on board to help educators with the message), instructive role-playing scenarios in the classroom, and efforts that lasted more than one day. Schools need more than a flash-in-the-pan event, even if it is really good. The speaker’s efforts can have great value as a launching pad from which other initiatives can take off. These can include a comprehensive anti-bullying curriculum, peer-to-peer programming, specifically training faculty and staff on how to teach digital civility and how to handle problems that arise, modules on socio-emotional learning, stress management, and conflict resolution, social norming, and building a positive school climate.
2. Consider the content of the specific bullying presentation
A school’s good intentions to impact, influence, and inspire their student body may backfire if the speaker or organization is not carefully vetted, and if the message is not carefully designed – with every word measured and every aspect planned and prepped for. Districts have faced real fallout in their communities after bringing in a speaker whose interactive exercises contributed to excessive vulnerability among students, and consequently to further targeting by peers. At least one district has faced litigation over a presentation that families believed handled the subject of self-harm irresponsibly. If your school community has experienced a recent loss, review the proposed content with your counseling staff before the event, and ask the speaker directly how they handle that material.
3. Take the time to find a great bullying prevention speaker to optimize chances for success
Schools interested in bringing out speakers to conduct student assemblies must demonstrate due diligence and do their background research. This is one of the primary ways to find out if they actually are relatable and uplifting, and if they actually have great content that focuses on the positive, provides real solutions, and can lead to specific follow-up by the school. We suggest that educators reach out to colleagues at other schools for specific recommendations. Feel free to even cold call those you don’t know but who work at schools similar to your own. Feel free to review testimonials, but also know that a speaker’s testimonials may not paint a full picture. As such, we also recommend that you take the time to schedule a call with potential speakers so you can get to know their style, passion, convictions, content areas, and exactly how they will connect with your students.
What to Decide Before You Book a Bullying and Cyberbullying Speaker
Most of the trouble we hear about after the fact traces back to decisions a school never actually made, and simply assumed would sort themselves out on the day. Working through the items below before you contact anyone will save you a great deal of second-guessing later, and it will also make your conversations with prospective speakers far more productive, because you will be able to say what you want.
Start with the goal. An assembly meant to launch a year-long prevention effort is a different event from one meant to respond to an incident, and a speaker who is excellent at the first may be the wrong person for the second. Write the goal down in a sentence before you go any further.
Then settle the audiences. Decide whether you are splitting students by grade band, since an elementary session and a high school session should not be the same talk delivered twice, and decide whether you are adding a parent evening and a faculty session to the same visit. Adding those sessions while the speaker is already on campus costs far less than bringing someone back later.
Next, name the person who owns follow-up. If nobody is responsible for what happens in the two weeks after the assembly, nothing will happen, and the event becomes the flash-in-the-pan we warned about above. That person should have the speaker’s materials in hand before the assembly, not after.
Consider the timing as well. October is Bullying Prevention Month and the calendars of established speakers fill up first for that month, often six to twelve months ahead. Some schools deliberately schedule for January or February instead, on the reasoning that the message lands better when it is not competing with a wall of posters.
Finally, budget for the whole event and not only the honorarium. Travel, lodging, audiovisual support, and any books or classroom materials all belong in the number, and a virtual session removes several of those lines if the budget is tight.
Once those decisions are made, my companion piece on what the best bullying and cyberbullying assembly speakers do covers the selection side, including the speakers educators ask us about most often. If the session you have in mind is about artificial intelligence, we have written a separate piece on what the best AI safety speakers do, since that subject calls for a different set of questions. In addition, Justin and I would love to hear your own thoughts, observations, and experiences in this area, and so feel free to weigh in!
Questions Schools Ask Before Booking a Bullying and Cyberbullying Assembly
Do bullying assemblies actually work?
On their own, they do very little. The evaluation research on school-based bullying prevention consistently shows that one-time events produce little lasting change, while programs that combine classroom instruction, parent involvement, staff training, and sustained attention across the school year do produce measurable reductions. An assembly is best understood as the opening of a longer effort, and it works when a school has planned what comes after it.
What should a school decide before booking a bullying assembly speaker?
Write down the goal of the event in one sentence, decide whether you are splitting students by grade band, decide whether you are adding a parent evening and a faculty session to the same visit, name the staff member responsible for follow-up in the weeks afterward, and budget for travel and materials in addition to an honorarium.
When in the school year should a bullying assembly be scheduled?
October is Bullying Prevention Month and is the most requested month, which means established speakers are often booked six to twelve months ahead for it. Some schools schedule for January or February instead, so the message is not competing with a saturated month, and so the school year still has enough time left for follow-up programming.
Should students be split by grade level for an assembly?
Yes, wherever the schedule allows. The content, examples, and tone that reach a fifth grader will not reach a junior, and a single session covering the entire building usually ends up pitched to the middle and reaching neither end well. Ask any prospective speaker how they adjust the session across grade bands.
How should a school vet a bullying assembly speaker?
Ask for references from schools of a similar size and demographic, and call them rather than relying on written testimonials. Request a recording or a live virtual preview of the session. Ask where the statistics in the presentation come from and when they were last updated. Ask what materials the speaker leaves behind for follow-up. A speaker page that sets out session objectives, audiences, and what attendees take home makes several of these questions easier to answer in advance, as on this bullying prevention speaker page. If your community has experienced a recent loss, ask specifically how the speaker handles content related to self-harm, and review the material with your counseling staff.
Originally published February 2015. Updated October 2026 with a planning checklist and answers to the questions schools ask before booking.
Suggested citation: Hinduja, S. (2026). Bullying Assembly Programs, What Schools Need to Know. Cyberbullying Research Center. https://cyberbullying.org/bullying-assembly-programs-schools-need-know
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