One thing that makes us a great organization is our ability to learn and improve so we can better serve families. Our growth mindset is a source of strength.
Last academic year, the Office of the Legislative Auditor General (OLAG) conducted a comprehensive review of our district practices, and found that we had room to improve in the area of bullying.
Most of the auditors' findings validated what we already knew–that our schools are centers of opportunity and learning for our students.
While we should be proud of and reinvest in our strengths, we should not allow them to blind us to opportunities to get better in other areas. The OLAG found that we could communicate our procedures for addressing bullying with the goal of making our schools even better.
October is National Bullying Prevention Month. What a great reminder to choose kindness, and to call out cruelty. Mistreating, bullying, or disrespecting others has no place in our schools. I know we will all continue to bring our best efforts to this shared goal of safe and inclusive schools.
The audit findings revealed a weakness in the area of reporting and communication– not in our culture, expectations, and practices of inclusion.
I have personally seen this in action across our school district. A few weeks ago I was privileged to attend the state Unified Soccer Tournament. Alpine schools have long led the state in the area of Unified Sports. It is a wonderful example of how we practice kindness and inclusion every day.
We are proud of our professional capacity to recognize and seize opportunities to improve our practice.