Joe Petraro, 9, of East Rockaway, has become one of New York State’s student representatives for BeStrong, an anti-bullying nonprofit based in Deerfield Beach, Florida.

Joe Biden urges schools to end “cruel” bullying that led to Nex Benedict’s death ... “Bullying is hurtful and cruel, and no one should face the bullying that Nex did,” Biden wrote.

The 2023-2204 school year saw 10,000 instances of bullying and almost 2,000 cases of cyberbullying, according to CCSD Government Relations Director Nathaniel Waugh.