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SFUSD presents survey data and Respect Week materials as part of Violence Prevention Month
Summary
District staff told the board that survey data show safety concerns and bullying across grade levels; SFUSD plans Respect Week Jan. 18–20, distributes curricular materials to schools, and reported increased teacher uptake of LGBTQ inclusion curriculum.
District student-support staff briefed the Board of Education on Jan. 11 about the district—s January Violence Prevention Month activities and preliminary survey results from the California Healthy Kids Survey and the Youth Risk Behavior Survey.
Kim Levine, program manager in School Health, reported that among fifth graders "we have 52 percent of our students that feel safe at school all the time and 57 percent that have been bullied, hit, or pushed." Presenters said similar patterns of harassment and fear appear in middle and high school data. The district plans a Respect Week (Jan. 18–20) tied to the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and staff distributed classroom materials, posters and a teacher packet; some audiovisual curricular materials (DVDs) were not included in the board packet but will be made available to sites.
Ilsa Bertolini, school climate coordinator, highlighted program monitoring results showing a 32% increase in teacher usage of an LGBTQ family-diversity curriculum; she said roughly 16,000 students had received that curriculum in recent years, up from about 9,000 three years prior. Staff also summarized district expectations for health education seat time (elementary, middle and high school levels) and noted implementation challenges at middle schools where there is no designated health teacher.
Board members praised the materials, asked for clearer evaluation metrics and better coordination with community-based organizations, and requested follow-up on how instructional hours will be documented and how teachers will be trained to deliver the curriculum.
The district said materials will be posted on the SFUSD website for teacher access and that staff will continue outreach and evaluation work in partnership with schools and community partners.
