November 4, 2022
This article was originally featured here. 
Designated month emphasizes the need to reflect on class and school culture, according to district officials
A retired Fairfield police officer and school resource officer, Joe Uchisba, standing at left center, is the featured presenter for Fairfield-Suisun Unified’s anti-bullying workshop, aimed at visiting every fifth- and six-grade class in the school district. (Contributed photo — FSUSD)
For every major issue in American society, there is a month, it seems.
And October is National Anti-Bullying Month, which emphasizes the need to reflect on class and school culture, according to Fairfield-Suisun Unified officials.
This month, striving to implement a culture of kindness and respect and to maintain spaces where students feel safe and welcome, they have arranged for a speaker to visit every fifth- and sixth-grade class in the district to deliver an anti-bullying workshop, a six-part series in a span of six weeks.
The presenter is Joe Uchisba, a retired Fairfield police officer and school resource officer. Among his topics: 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,” Uchisba said in a prepared district statement. “Children cannot learn effectively in an environment where they feel unsafe.”
Each year, Fairfield-Suisun staffers meet with parents, students, and community members to discuss the strengths and areas of growth for the district, the county’s largest, with more than 21,500 students across 30 campuses. During recent meetings, the gatherings have identified the need to do more to address bullying and cyberbullying behavior, district officials said.
In addition to this year’s anti-bullying presentations, FSUSD will continue to use STOPit Solutions, an anonymous reporting system, in which students and parents can report bullying incidents, with those reports 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 Fairfield-Suisun Unified sites is a year-round goal, district officials said.
For more information about the district’s bullying-prevention resources, visit https://www.fsusd.org/Page/17843.
In addition to this year’s anti-bullying presentations, FSUSD will continue to use STOPit Solutions, an anonymous reporting system, in which students and parents can report bullying incidents, with those reports 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 Fairfield-Suisun Unified sites is a year-round goal, district officials said.
For more information about the district’s bullying-prevention resources, visit https://www.fsusd.org/Page/17843.
