Unity

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Building relationships, trust and safe places for students to freely express themselves is the most important part of every new school year.

This school year began with lessons about unity, community, respect and kindness.

In posters, community circles, and activities, this common theme was evident at every one of the 16 schools I’ve visited since September 3.

Students participated in activities including emptying a tube of toothpaste onto a napkin and then being asked to refill it with a toothpick, an exercise encouraging students to consider their words and actions – because once they’re out there, it’s impossible to take them back. In another class, students participated in an activity about how unkind words or actions break hearts. To illustrate the point, students were first asked to write kind words onto a heart-shaped paper. Then students were asked to express what it felt like when someone was unkind, crumpling the paper with each example given.

Building upon the success of last year’s system-wide Unity Day, unity, acceptance and inclusion will be recurring themes all year as part of Project Unity.

Unity Day will occur system-wide on October 23, the first of four “wear orange” days when schools will focus on bullying prevention, kindness, acceptance, and inclusion via activities and messaging that best benefit their students and community. We live in a diverse community, and all students deserve to feel accepted, included and safe at school.

Bigotry, bias and bullying are chronic problems throughout AACPS. Unity Day and conversations about acceptance last academic year, along with Project Unity events throughout this academic year, illustrate that attention is being given to kindness and respect at school; a concerted effort to eliminate hate and build unity.

Our work cannot happen in a vacuum. School is only one facet of a student’s life. To successfully erase hate and build unity, parents and guardians must also contribute. We must all unite behind the narrative that kindness matters, bullying is wrong, and hate has no place in our schools.

Education begins at home. I invite all the parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, guardians, etc. reading this article to talk with their students about how words and actions can have negative and permanent effects. Encourage students to think about how their actions affect others. Talk with them about their school environment and what we can do to make it a kinder, more inclusive place to learn. Systemic, permanent change will not occur without parental involvement.

Our problems will not be solved overnight. Already this year, troubling incidents of hate and bias have occurred at schools. Symbols of hate and hate speech are never tolerated at school. These actions have consequences laid out in the Student Code of Conduct that was already distributed to all students. Every incident will be taken seriously, investigated fully, and have serious consequences.

Let’s work together. Let’s unite around the premise that bullying, hate, bigotry and bias never have a place at school. I am always available to hear your concerns. Contact me at dschallheim@aacps.org.

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