At Chapman, we are committed to fostering an environment where every K-5 student feels valued, seen, and respected. While all students naturally experience developmental growth, we work diligently to create a school culture rooted in kindness, inclusion, and safety. The past couple of weeks, we have been partnering with our district’s Racial Equity & Social Justice team to work with staff to help strengthen our ability to respond to these situations as they arise and to work with students through a community circle process. In addition, our social worker, Ms. Darcy, has been going into 4th and 5th grade classrooms to discuss Title IX protections, which protect students from harassment, bullying, bias and discrimination.
We ask for parent support in reinforcing the importance of using kind words and maintaining safe, respectful behavior. This includes refraining from using racial slurs, body shaming, making unkind or inappropriate comments, using foul language, or expressing disparaging remarks about transgender, LGBTQ+ or other marginalized communities. Words and actions that cause harm have no place in our school, and we are committed to holding students accountable for their behavior. Encourage healthy ways to manage emotions—remind students to express frustration through words, not actions like hitting, pushing, or kicking.
While we may come from diverse perspectives and backgrounds, it is essential that we all actively disrupt harmful behaviors. Chapman is a community built on compassion and respect for others. We ask families to help reinforce these values at home, just as we will continue to provide guidance, lessons, and opportunities to help students grow into their best selves and contribute to a supportive, inclusive school environment.
