West Valley school taking week to fight bullying

GLENDALE, Ariz. — Heritage Elementary School at 125th Avenue and Glendale is spending the entire week helping students understand bullying and how to prevent it.

Classroom doors are decorated with anti-bullying messages. Students have been writing down how they’ve been affected by bullies. Hundreds of kids at the school are wore orange — the color of the national anti-bullying moment — locked arms and recited the schools anti-bullying pledge on Wednesday.

Mariah Monroe, an eighth grader, said she has been the victim of social media bullying.

“It hurts inside but you just have to remember that people love you,” she said.

While the school is doing its best to teach kids about bullying, it said parents need to do their part as well.

“Talk to your child,” said Heritage Elementary Vie Principal Alicia Perez. “Ask how their day was. That’s the key.”

Perez said the school has a no-tolerance policy when it comes to bullies. The policy has led to interventions with parents because some cases of bullying have started with the student’s home life.

Bullying — both online and in person– has become a major challenge for schools nationwide.