Woodland Joint Unified

Sept. 30, 2022

Jerry Jimenez, Public Information Officer, jerry.jimenez@wjusd.org, (530) 406-3170

WOODLAND, Calif. - The Woodland Joint Unified School District is launching a districtwide anti-bullying campaign in October for National Bullying Prevention Month.

 

Throughout the month, students across the district will participate in a variety of activities, lessons, and school assemblies designed to reinforce kindness, acceptance, and inclusion.

 

Nationally, one out of every five (20.2%) students report being bullied, according to a 2019 report by the U.S. Department of Education.

 

“All students deserve to feel safe in our schools and in our community,” said Superintendent Elodia Ortega-Lampkin. “Addressing issues of bullying is a priority of ours and will continue to be a focus throughout the year. From administrators, teachers, staff, and community members, it’s up to us to model mutual respect and kindness and demonstrate the willingness to seek to understand each other's differences and points of view.”

 

While schools have historically participated in National Bullying Prevention Month individually, this is the first time WJUSD is conducting a coordinated anti-bullying campaign districtwide.

 

“This is in direct connection with our updated board policy and administrative regulations adopted last school year, which state we will be doing activities throughout the year to educate students, families, staff, and community members around the topic of bullying,” said Dr. Felicia Rodoni-Wilson, WJUSD director of student support services.

 

Some of the student activities will include poster contests; defining kindness, acceptance, inclusion, and unity using words, art, or music; creating unity trees; and more.

 

Educating students about bullying is paramount to their overall success, said David Scolari, a counselor at Douglass Middle School.

“It’s very important,” Scolari said. “It’s right after the 3 R’s. The two qualities that alleviate bullying are compassion and empathy. Once you educate our youth and then add compassion and empathy, you create a wonderful human being. It just benefits humankind.”

 

Aubrey Holdstock, a sixth-grader at Tafoya Elementary School who is involved in an anti-bullying program at her school, agreed that it’s important that schools focus on this issue.

 

“We don’t want to bully and make people feel uncomfortable or not welcomed because we’re all humans and we should all treat people equally,” Holdstock said.

 

 WJUSD proudly serves nearly 10,000 students from preschool through adult education in the communities of Woodland, Knights Landing, Yolo, and Zamora.

Web: www.wjusd.org  Twitter: @WoodlandSchools