Fairfield, CA - October is National Anti-Bullying Month. This month, in particular, emphasizes the need to reflect on class and school culture. The Fairfield-Suisun Unified School District strives to implement a culture of kindness and respect and works to maintain spaces where students feel safe and welcome. This year, starting in October, FSUSD has arranged for a speaker to visit every fifth and sixth grade class in the district to deliver an anti-bullying workshop.
The workshop is a six-part session that will be delivered over a six-week period to each classroom. The presenter is Mr. Joe Ushishiba, retired Fairfield Police Officer and School Resource Officer . Topics covered will include: how to build a caring community, where everyone feels safe and respected, what to do if we see someone doing something wrong? Self-care/ reducing stress and nervousness, defining bullying and bullying behavior and cyberbullying.
“The goal of these workshops is to create a caring community where everyone feels safe and respected.” Said Joe Ushishiba, “Children cannot learn effectively in an environment where they feel unsafe.”
Each year, Fairfield-Suisun staff meet with parents, students, and community members to discuss the strengths and areas of growth for our district and schools. During recent meetings, our educational partners have identified the need to do more to address bullying and cyberbullying behavior. In addition to this year’s anti-bullying presentations, FSUSD will continue to use STOPit Solutions. In this anonymous reporting system, students and parents can report bullying incidents, and the reports are sent directly to their site administrators for investigation and action.
While National Anti-Bullying Month lasts for one month, maintaining safe and welcoming campuses at all FSUSD sites is a year-round goal.