Washington Schools Celebrate Unity Day

BELLEVUE, WA — Schools in Washington, and across the nation, celebrated Unity Day on Wednesday. The annual event encourages teachers and students to wear orange, and carve out some time to discuss how everyone can do their part to prevent bullying. Organized by PACER's National Bullying Prevention Center, Unity Day is observed every year during the third or fourth Wednesday in October, which is National Bullying Prevention Month.

In Bellevue, students at Eastgate crafted a rainbow out of dozens of kind notes with messages of support and promises to stand up for each other. At Medina Elementary, teachers led a Unity Day assembly where students made signs and helped the school mascot find his "superpower bracelet."

Anti-bullying efforts across Washington stretch far beyond Unity Day, with many districts incorporating discussions into regular classwork. Washington state law requires districts to adopt harassment, intimidation and bullying policies and establish procedures and training to prevent it. A law passed by legislators in 2010 prohibits bullying — physically or electronically — and requires districts maintain a compliance officer to handle reported incidents. The state superintendent's office also provides a bullying and harassment toolkit online.

You can learn more about Unity Day or get more ideas for next year on PACER's website.

As part of a national reporting project, Patch has been looking at society's roles and responsibilities in bullying and a child's unthinkable decision to end their own life in hopes we might offer solutions that save lives.Do you have a story to tell? Are you concerned about how your local schools handle bullies and their victims?Email us at bullies@patch.com and share your views in the comments.