Bullying Prevention & Dignity for All Students Act

As recent news headlines have shown, bullying can happen in any school and in any community.  Since 2010, the Orchard Park Central School District has taken steps to prevent bullying by training district staff in the Olweus Bullying Prevention Program.  This program is a research-based, school-wide "systems change" program that has been used successfully in schools nationally and internationally.

Starting in September 2011, the district began the implementation of Olweus with each school hosting a "Bullying Prevention Kick-Off" which will draw attention to the issue of bullying and introduce students to the Anti-Bullying Pledge.   

Our School's Anti-Bullying Pledge   
    1.  We will not bully others.
    2.  We will help students who are bullied.
    3.  We will include students who are left out.
    4.  If somebody is being bullied, we will tell an adult at school and an adult at home. 

Dignity for All Students Act (DASA)
The Dignity for All Student Act (DASA) went into effect in the summer of 2012, with supplemental provisions on cyberbullying going into effect in the summer of 2013.  To comply with DASA, Orchard Park Central School District has designated the following individuals as Dignity Act Coordinators. Each is thoroughly trained to handle human relations in the areas of race, color, weight, national origin, ethnic group, religion, religious practice, disability, sexual orientation, gender (defined to include gender identity or expression), and sex.
   Orchard Park High School, Mr. Brandon Pafk, Principal
   Orchard Park Middle School, Mrs. Mary Kate Graham, Principal
   Eggert Road Elementary, Mrs. Missy Szczesniak, Principal
   Ellicott Road Elementary, Mrs. Diana Nigro, Principal
   South Davis Elementary, Mr. Jeff Dolce, Principal
   Windom Elementary, Mr. Philip Johnson, Principal

For more information about the Olweus Bullying Prevention Program, please click on the link below.  You will also find a link below to Cyber Bullying 411, "A Parents Guide to Internet Safety" provided by the FBI, and tips for parents when a child is involved with bullying in some way.

Olweus Resource Database.

 Attached below are the districts' policies regarding anti-bullying, harrassment and DASA.

Check out the file below to see the OPCSD pro-active approach to bullying in Buffalo Healthy Living Magazine.