DASA. | project-unity

The Dignity for All Students Act.

Info.

As of July 1, 2012 The Dignity for All Students Act went into effect, enforcing stricter regulations on bullying and preventative procedures. Project: Unity has meticulously designed programs that follow our modern theme, but also in fact, satisfy the requirements set forth by The Dignity for All Students Act. Please review the following page to understand how Project: Unity can meet these extremely crucial regulations for your school district.

You can also visit these links to find out more about DASA and updated amendments that fight to keep our children safe:

New York State Education Department: http://www.p12.nysed.gov/dignityact

Laws & Regulations: http://www.p12.nysed.gov/dignityact/lawsandregs.html

Get Involved with The New York Civil Liberties Union: http://www.nyclu.org/

DASA Resources: http://www.p12.nysed.gov/dignityact/documents/DignityActPresentation7.11.12.pdf

NYS Center for School Safety: http://www.nyscenterforschoolsafety.org/what.cfm?subpage=928750

The Dignity Act Coordinator. (DAC)

Each and every school facility is required to have one or more employees that are designated as Dignity Act Coordinators. These individuals handle the core amount of cases involving School Bullying, and attempt to mediate the situation in a "Restorative Approach." The designated DAC should possess a bright character as to promote preventative and non-punitive intervention versus a harsh, impersonal punishment. The Department of Education has conveyed that "Using discipline as a 'Teachable Moment' is fundamental to a positive approach [to discipline]."

"Project: Unity" 110% agrees that primitive measures of exclusionary tactics, such as suspension, do not target the actual issue of Bully prevention. Therefore, a representative meets with the DAC on a weekly basis to construct new avenues of the intervention process. Following the guidelines set by our StopTheBull™ program, we aim to create a broad tolerance of equality within any student charged with bullying. An example of previously used methods include Home Life Evaluation, Drug/Alcohol Use, and determination of childhood aggression. Combined with personal attention, we are able to TEACH the Bully that all people are created equal, that every individual possesses different traits, but that we are ALL on this earth TOGETHER.

In some situations, our representatives have also found mutual similarities between the Victim and Bully to further reduce negative behaviors. Believe it or not...This innovative route has also led to many friendships!!

Required Faculty Training & Staff Development.

As of the 2012-13 school year, all schools are REQUIRED to approve an Anti-Bullying training program for both instructional and non-instructional faculty members. The supplemental education must instruct on how to promote a more positive school atmosphere that is free from discrimination and harassment. Employees must also be taught how to deal with extra-curricular situations, including transportation services and school functions. The training also acts to raise "awareness and sensitivity" toward discrimination and harassment.

The Runway to Hope Foundation provides School Employees the necessary training needed to fulfill the requirements through our WatchfulEyes™ Training Workshops. We take a great deal of effort in molding topics together that allow for any employee to tackle many different types of Bullying situations. We aim to foster the idea of the Restorative Approach by providing faculty with generalized scripts to show examples of how to word questions related to bullying. Below you will find a sample of various topics discussed in each of RHF's Ninety (90) minute workshops:

How to Spot a Bully

Life-Long Effects of Bullying, What you Didn't Know!

The Teacher that Bullies

Creating Your Own Anti-Bullying Action Plan

Passive Intervention Ideas

Cyber-Bullying, What You Can Do from Your Classroom!

LGBTQ Education, The Term "Gay" and it's Negative Modern Usage

Girl Fights & the Severity of Group Bullying

Good to Remember:

Required Classroom Instruction on:

Civility.

Citizenship.

& Character.

In 2012, the Board of Regents ammended 8 NYCRR 100.2(c) to include classroom instruction for ALL public school students that fosters the development of a school environment free of discrimination and harassment, including but not limited to, instruction that raises awareness and sensitivity to discrimination and harassment based on a person’s actual or perceived races, color, weight, national origin, ethnic group, religion, religious practice, disability,, sexual orientation, gender (including gender identity or expression), and sex. The instruction may be integrated into regular class time or teaching plan as long as it stresses the importance of tolerance to ANY person.

Luckily, there is no reason to worry about changing teacher's plans or hear a yawn in your classroom! "Project: Unity" has taken action to research and develop two (2) different outlets that fulfill this state education amendment. The first, is through our weekly syllabus which is sent to each teacher employed within an affiliated school district. We personalize each topic to grade-level and current community affairs. Our goal is to diversify the conversations had between students of the same grade and class schedules. Our philosophy when creating our weekly classroom syllabus is to incorporate different facets of personal characteristics in an effort to raise social awareness of individuality. WHAT THIS MEANS: Our syllabus is based on a different

socio-typed personality each week, along, with a life story that pertains to the message that "We all have different life experiences which has led us to be who we are today. Nobody can judge any other person, as none of us have walked in another's shoes."