District Renews Focus on Bullying Prevention

Staff throughout Federal Way Public Schools are participating in bullying prevention training this year as part of an increased emphasis on bullying district-wide.

All schools previously had their own bullying policies and procedures, said Judy Lemmel, director of K-12 Teaching for Learning. What’s new this year is that the plan, training materials and resources are consistent district-wide. The district also appointed a compliance officer. The new policies and procedures reflect recent Washington State Legislation.

“They’ve done a great job at the school level but this really brings it together to make it consistent,” Lemmel said. “Kids can’t be successful, they can’t be college ready, if they’re being bullied. It affects their grades, their performance and their self esteem.”

The state school bullying legislation has included a section on cyberbullying since 2007. The new legislation strengthens policies and procedures. All staff members are now trained in bullying prevention and are required to take prompt action any time they witness or receive a report of bullying. A compliance officer will review incident reports and work with principals at each school to ensure the process is effectively reducing bullying. Parents in Federal Way were also required to sign an agreement this year that they will help prevent bullying.    

“Our overall goal is to make kids college ready, and they can only do that in a safe, supportive environment,” Lemmel said. “We want kids to learn to respect and care about others.”

Federal Way High School to Host Bullying Prevention Events for Students

The student leadership team at Federal Way High School will host workshops on bullying prevention for all 10th, 11th and 12th grade classes on September 23 and September 26. The 9th grade class completed this work on the first day of school. Students will share their stories and act out scenarios that happen every day in which bullying may occur.

Federal Way High School gives an annual presentation on bullying to the entire school, but this year they are emphasizing bullying prevention as part of the school culture. They are also informing students about the addition of cyberbullying to the district bullying policy.

For more information about the bullying event at Federal Way High School, call (253) 945-5400.

Posted: September 20, 2011