School board adopts respect resolution

Stephen Romano

Port Washington school board members adopted a resolution of respect last week to reinforce the district’s stand against hate.

“The board and administration agreed that it was important to make a statement on behalf of the school community,” Superintendent of Schools Kathleen Mooney said.

The resolution, which was drafted by the Anti-Defamation League, which fights anti-Semitism and bigotry, as part of its “No Place for Hate” campaign, contains six promises that oppose discrimination and promote respect.

The promises include “understanding those who are different than myself,” speaking out against prejudice, reaching out to support those who are targets of hate, promoting respect for people, believing that no one should be an “innocent bystander” and “respecting individual dignity and promoting intergroup harmony.”

The resolution adds to the school district’s effort to prevent discrimination and stand up to hate.

Two anti-bullying programs were launched in the fall:  the RULER program, which stands for recognizing, understanding, labeling, expressing and regulating, at the John Phiilip Sousa Elementary School and the Olewus program at Carrie Palmer Weber Middle School, which is a bully prevention program.

“Both programs embraced the ideals of the resolution by promoting a climate of open expression, understanding differences and upstanding for others who may be targeted,” a news release said.

The district’s Safety and Substance Abuse Task Force also hosted a Unity Day in October to advocate for a united student body and spread bully prevention awareness.

“We take hateful behavior very seriously and do everything in our power to prevent and reject ignorance and intolerance and enforce any acts that speak to this,” Mooney said. “With input from our parent community and help from our school-based organizations, we will encourage every one of our students to act on the ideals written in this resolution.”

Paul D. Schreiber High School also earned the “No Place for Hate” distinction.

The school also implemented the Anti-Defamation League’s “A World of Difference” program, which “embraces the richness of diversity,” the news release said.

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