South Fla. students to march against bullying

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) -- Only days after a South Florida high school girl was fatally shot outside her class, more than 1,000 students are planning to march in Fort Lauderdale to call for an end to bullying.

The Thousand Youth March for Humanity starts at 1 p.m. Sunday at Huizenga Plaza. The rally is scheduled to end with performances by music groups and students.

Organizers have been planning the march for months, but the slaying this week of Dillard High School sophomore Amanda Collette added to the issue of school violence.

Robert Spencer Knotts, president and founder of the nonprofit group organizing the march, says bullying has become a more severe issue over time. State legislators finally passed a law this spring requiring school districts to adopt policies that prohibit bullying and harassment by Dec. 1.

(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)