Dearborn bully-prevention committee proposes cultural-awareness day, student media campaign and policy changes

A district panel convened by the Dearborn City School District presented four district‑level recommendations aimed at preventing and reducing bullying, including a districtwide cultural‑awareness day, a student‑led media campaign, edits to Board Policy 5517.01 and a catalog of staff professional development.

"Promoting cultural awareness is a very powerful way to build empathy, strengthen relationships, and prevent bullying," said Yasmin Saeed, a junior at Edsel Ford High School, as she described the committee's recommendation for either a designated cultural‑awareness day or a districtwide event tied to an existing program.

The committee, facilitated by Zainab Sarini, started its work in mid‑October and met three times through February. Sarini told the board the panel included about 30 members representing teachers, students, parents, social workers, principals, occupational therapists, board members, English language developers and central office directors. The committee framed four district recommendations and also collected building‑level practices to share with principals and assistant principals as a resource.

The four recommendations

- Cultural‑awareness day or event: The committee proposed two options — a designated month/day of activities with grade‑level guidance or a single districtwide celebration. "Our committee feels very strongly that building respect across cultural differences isn't just valuable, but it's also necessary," Saeed said.

- Student‑led media campaign: The committee recommended using district digital platforms to distribute student‑created content on bullying prevention and response, with particular attention to cyberbullying. Students who participated said parents and caregivers need more accessible information about online safety.

- Policy edits and an administrator resource: The committee recommended edits to Board Policy 5517.01, including removing subsection "c," described in the committee text as the "teaches the district response to bullying behavior curriculum" because it is "outdated," and changing wording from "anti‑bullying events" to "bully prevention events and initiatives." The committee also proposed a tracking/resource document for administrators to monitor progress and share practices across buildings.

- Professional development catalog: Committee members recommended a recurring fall catalog of professional development offerings for principals and staff covering restorative practices, conflict‑resolution techniques and cultural‑awareness training so buildings can identify training that fits their needs.

Trustee questions and board comments

Multiple trustees engaged the committee about implementation and the role of parents and administrators. "Everywhere you have that word culture, I want to see 'school' in front of it," said Trustee Pazasko, arguing the district should emphasize a shared school culture of expectations and values rather than only individual cultural traditions. Trustee Petricoff and Trustee Watts both stressed that efforts should hold students accountable while also addressing underlying causes of bullying, and Trustee Berry urged a workshop for building administrators so principals share consistent expectations across schools.

Committee members said the committee heard that bullying often manifests from online interactions that surface in school, noting principals report heavier caseloads on Mondays after weekend social‑media interactions. The student‑led media campaign recommendation was presented in part to reach parents who cannot attend in‑person workshops; the committee's presenters said many schools already run parent meetings on online safety, but the district campaign would expand reach.

Next steps

Sarini said the policy committee will review the recommendations at the board level and that building administrators will receive the administrator resource. The committee recommended aiming for initial implementation in fall 2025; the board did not vote on any policy changes at the meeting.

The presentation included multiple student voices and district staff; no formal board action was taken beyond discussion and direction to the policy committee to consider the recommendations.