New Cyber-Bullying PSA Features Pop Star Justin Bieber

Teen idol Justin Bieber is appearing in a new public service announcement about cyber-bullying.

Nassau County District Attorney Kathleen Rice released the PSA Wednesday, during National Bullying Prevention Month, saying the video "represents a portion of a criminal settlement with Bieber’s management companies" stemming from a crowd control incident at Roosevelt Field Mall in 2009.

The PSA is available at www.stopbullyingli.org and on YouTube and will also be distributed on DVD to schools across Nassau County.

Rice said her office also created a website she says is geared towards educating and supporting students, parents and educators in their fight against cyber-bullying.

In 2011, Bieber’s record label, Island Def Jam Music Group, and his manager’s company, Remster 3 LLC, pleaded guilty to safety violations, Rice said, after the companies’ roles in a promotional event at the mall that turned dangerous after Bieber’s manager, Scooter Braun, defied law enforcement officials’ demands to immediately cancel the event for crowd safety reasons.

The county was also reimbursed $24,000 for costs associated with the incident, including law enforcement and fire marshal response.

“I felt strongly that the companies should be held responsible for refusing to help law enforcement resolve this dangerous situation,” said Rice. “I saw an opportunity for something innovative that would be a much larger benefit to the community than the companies just paying a few hundred dollars in fines. Unusual cases often require innovative solutions and I think we were able to find one here.”

In addition to the video, the website also features information about New York’s Dignity for All Students Act, which went into effect in July, and requires each school to designate a specially trained Dignity Act coordinator to handle reports of bullying.

“Every student deserves a safe and supportive learning environment, but we know that hundreds of thousands of kids skip school to avoid the torment of bullying by their peers, and some have tragically taken their own lives,” Rice said. “Bullying is a serious problem, and this PSA and website are great resources for students, parents and educators to help prevent, report and stop bullying online and in our schools.”