Anti-Bullying Month Starts Today in Waukee

At a meeting of the Waukee City Council on Sept. 17, Mayor Bill Peard, in collaboration with the cities of Clive, Urbandale, West Des Moines and Windsor Heights proclaimed October anti-bullying month.

The proclaimation states that "almost 30 percent of youth in the United States will be involved in bullying - either as a bully or a victim of bullying - and that an estimated 160,000 students in kindergarten through 12th grade will miss
school every day for fear of being bullied."

The city of Waukee and the Waukee Board of Education want to change those statistics and are partnering together to make that happen. For the rest of the month, both parents and students will start to see the results of these efforts through activities and events at several Waukee schools.

For example, students at Brookview Elementary School in West Des Moines, are participating in Kindness Starts with Me activities as part of Pay it Forward Week. This week's schedule is as follows:

• Monday: Stomp Out Bullying (Wear blue and some shoes that stomp)
• Tuesday: Random Acts of Kindness (recognize someone who brightened your day)
• Wednesday: Pay it Forward (Wear winter gear to donate to the Winter Warmth Drive)
• Thursday:  Mind and Body Day  (Wellness celebration-school wide)
• Friday: Be Yourself (Wear your favorite outfit)

Activities are being planned by each individual school in the Waukee district. Events will vary at each one.

Across the district, anyone who is being bullied or who witnesses an act of bullying can report it anonymously through the district's website. All reports are investigated by the Waukee schools' resource officers and handled immediately.