The Flagler County School Board on Sept. 23 adopted a resolution recognizing October 2025 as National Bullying Prevention Month and heard public testimony urging stronger prevention, clearer reporting and more staff training.

The proclamation, read during the board’s special announcements, recognizes bullying as “physical, verbal, and emotional harm” that occurs in schools and online and calls on Flagler Schools to engage students, parents and staff in prevention activities. The board signed the resolution and the document was entered into the minutes as adopted by the members at the regular open public meeting.

Why it matters: Students and staff told the board that current measures are insufficient to prevent recurring harm and that more training for classroom aides and better mechanisms for tracking and investigating bullying are needed to protect students’ mental and physical wellbeing.

Students Kaylee Marie Trigiani and a fellow student spoke during the meeting’s public comment portion. Trigiani said, “Bullying gets you nowhere in your life,” and described how bullying can escalate from insults about hair or clothes to physical harm within days. A second student said, “Bullying causes suicide. Psychological breakdowns or even depression.”

Paraprofessionals and volunteers described gaps in training and supports. Brianna Lopez, a paraprofessional, told the board she has “been in numerous situations where behaviors have become physical,” and said staff do not always have “the proper and up to date training” to intervene without risking their own jobs. Lisa Torres, president of the support‑staff union, said she “takes these concerns very seriously” and said she looks forward to working with the district to address training shortfalls.

Volunteer Connie Sparks described seeing repeated bullying and students reporting suicidal thoughts, and asked the board for stronger, consistent responses at the elementary level. Sparks said counselors appear overburdened and that some parents do not engage with school meetings such as PTO, limiting school outreach.

Board follow-up and requests: Board member Janie Reddy asked for timelines on follow-up items that arose from an August review of bullying protocols, including 1) a clearer “trigger” or process for initiating a bullying investigation and spot‑checks to ensure referrals are recorded consistently and 2) review of apparent disparities in the number of reported bullying incidents across schools. Superintendent LaShaka Moore told the board the district collects data and will investigate reported instances; Moore also reiterated that staff and volunteers are mandatory reporters and encouraged community members to file reports when they observe harmful conduct.

No additional policy vote occurred on Sept. 23 beyond the adoption of the resolution recognizing Bullying Prevention Month. Board members and staff repeatedly distinguished between public comments (citizen concerns), staff direction to review procedures and formal actions recorded in the minutes.

Clarifying details from the meeting: the resolution recognizing October 2025 as National Bullying Prevention Month was presented during special announcements and was adopted on Sept. 23. Public commenters proposed tactics such as rewarding positive behavior, using private (one‑on‑one) feedback rather than public discipline, supervised peer mediation or buddy systems, and placing positive affirmations in school bathrooms. Several speakers emphasized mental‑health supports for students. The district presentation materials and prior August review were referenced as sources of follow‑up tasks but no new funding or specific training vendor was approved at this meeting.

What’s next: Board members requested that district staff return with timelines and materials showing how recommendations from the August bullying process review will be implemented, including any spot‑check procedures and explanations for school‑level disparities. Community members were told how to submit bullying complaints through each school’s website or by contacting school leadership.

Ending note: The board adopted the local resolution recognizing National Bullying Prevention Month and agreed to further study and report back on training and investigation processes; speakers at the meeting urged quicker, concrete action to reduce student harm and to expand paraprofessional training and mental‑health supports.