All students have the right to go a school that is safe, welcoming, considering and caring 
Dignity for All Act – states that all students deserve a safe and supportive environment to learn.  Students are not allowed to tease, put down, push, shove, kick, call names or be mean to others:

• If they are big or small
• If they are short or tall
• If they go to a different church
• If they celebrate different holidays
• If they are a boy or a girl
• If they have a different skin color
• If they talk differently
• If they are quiet or talk a lot
• If they wear different clothing
• If they come from a different place
• If they have trouble learning or are really smart
• If they have trouble hearing, seeing, or moving around
• Or for any other reason

To have a safe school environment, we all need to work together, and we all have important responsibilities to make our school a great place to learn.

The biggest characteristic that needs to be lived by those of us at Newfane Elementary School is that of dignity…for ourselves and toward others.  On July 1^st, 2012 the Dignity for All Students Act went into effect across our state.  The Act is designed to make sure that all students feel safe at school and at school functions. 

Here are the basics of what the act means: 

• Goal of the Act—create a safe and supportive school climate where students can learn and focus, rather than being discriminated against or harassed (bothered) with words or actions by other students or school personnel. 
• Who is protected—All students in public schools in NYS are protected.
• What does it prohibit—The Dignity Act prohibits harassment and discrimination of students by other students and school personnel.
• Where does it apply—To any behavior on school property, in school buildings, on school transportation and any school-sponsored activity.
• So what does this mean to us? 

We need to be much more careful about how we talk, text, post and behave around each other.  We need to realize that treating others poorly has a huge impact on the lives of those targeted, and we have no right to take away any student’s right to be free from discrimination or harassment.  Some key thoughts follow:

• Tolerance—we must accept differences among other people
• Sensitivity—we must understand that our words and actions can offend and hurt others
• Respect for others—we must always show that all students have the right to learn and feel welcome at school

What follows is a list that might help us understand that showing dignity means treating people with all sorts of different characteristics with respect.  We’ve known this before, but now it is a New York State law that we must never treat students badly because of the following:

The Challenge

Basically, this act is a long way of getting to the idea expressed most simply in The Golden Rule: treat others as you would like to be treated.  Don’t make fun of someone for how they look.  Ever.   Don’t treat another student badly because of the color of their skin.  Or where they came from.  Or their religion.  Don’t pick on anyone for the score they got on a test, or how good or bad they are in the gym.  Don’t use words that define someone based on who you think they like.  Ever.  Never use physical actions or words to make others feel badly about themselves or take away their freedom to learn in our school.  Ever. 

What to do

If you or someone you know is being discriminated against or harassed, take action.  Talk to someone.  At school, you can talk to any of our staff members, including:  

• Mrs. Danielle Hawkins, Dignity Act Coordinator: 716-778-6376 (dhawkins@newfanecentralschools.org)
• Elementary Counselor, Miss Amber Pratt: 716 – 778-6392 (apratt@newfanecentralschools.org)