EL MONTE – El Monte Union schools are empowering students, parents and community members to help prevent and bring an end to bullying and cyber-bullying during National Bullying Prevention Month.

In support of National Bullying Prevention Month, observed every October, the El Monte Union High School District Board of Trustees signed a resolution on Oct. 3 pledging to work with the school community to develop programs that foster safe learning environments free from bullying, harassment and discrimination.

“Bullying can take various forms, but they all have the same effect and intention to inflict harm,” Board of Trustees President Maria Morgan said. “We want to encourage our students, parents and staff to work together to create supportive and positive school climates that embrace differences and keep our kids safe.”

Schools work with the District’s partner mental health and well-being agencies, as well as conduct various presentations on social media, conflict resolution, cyber-bullying and bullying for students and parents throughout the school year.

For instance, Mountain View High School will host several bullying and cyberbullying prevention workshops through December, teaching parents effective communication strategies to stop, prevent and reduce bullying.

At El Monte High School, counselors discuss the process for reporting bullying with all students.

Staff at South El Monte and El Monte high schools have been trained in Capturing Kids’ Hearts strategies, which aim to strengthen students’ connectedness to others and subsequently improve student performance.

“To foster academic achievement and ensure our students have optimal learning environments in which to learn, we have set expectations for all of our students and made it clear that bullying will not be tolerated at our campuses,” Superintendent Dr. Edward Zuniga said. “It is our responsibility to ensure our students are safe, our classrooms are free of distractions and our schools are welcoming.”