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This year’s Back-to-School season is an exciting and anxious time for most kids as they head back to class.
Here are some suggestions that will help start you and your kids off on the right path for a great school year.
- Make time to talk about school every day. Kids traditionally do better in school when parents are involved in their academic lives. Let them know what happens at school is important to you. When kids know parents are interested, they tend to take school seriously as well.
- Attend the back-to-school orientations. Typically held at the beginning of the school year, it’s a great way to get to know your child’s teachers and their expectations and learn about school-wide programs and policies, too.
- Attend your child’s parent-teacher conference. Typically held 1-2 times, the conference enables parents to speak with their student’s teacher to receive progress reports. Meeting with the teacher also lets your child know that what goes on in school will be shared at home.
- Be vigilant by monitoring your child’s behavior and their social media use. If your child is missing a lot of school due to illness, make sure to check with the teacher about any work that needs to be completed. It’s also a good idea to know the school’s attendance policy. Problems with classmates, assignments, or grades, or even teachers can cause anxiety and result in real symptoms, like headaches or stomachaches. If you think there’s a problem at school, including bullying, talk with your child to find out more about what’s causing the anxiety. The school counselor or school psychologist might be able to help. Parents or guardians can request meetings with teachers, principals, school counselors at any time.
- Learn about Florida’s K-12 education scholarships. As a parent in Florida, you have access to more K-12 education options than you might realize. Knowing and navigating these options can help you find a school where your child’s personality, gifts, and academic strengths can flourish.
The American Psychological Association defines bullying as “aggressive behavior in which someone intentionally and repeatedly causes another person injury or discomfort.” Such behaviors can take the form of physical contact, verbal attacks, or other more subtle actions.
Sadly, bullying is a real problem that many students and parents must confront. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, 31% of students between the ages of 12 and 18 attending school in the United States say they are bullied. However, the reality may be far more complicated as victims of bullying often choose to not report the incidence.
What’s worse, according to the Florida Department of Health, suicide rates among children ages 10-14 have more than doubled between 2011 and 2020. Similarly, for adolescents ages 15-19, deaths by suicide have risen by over 40% during the same period.
One significant factor identified in exacerbating the risk of suicide among young individuals is bullying, particularly cyberbullying.
For families dealing with bullying at school, a Hope Scholarship offers a fresh start and a new outlook on learning. This first-of-its-kind school choice program provides scholarships to bullied K-12 students to attend a private school or a public school in a different district. The program’s scholarship is funded by Florida’s car dealers and county tax collectors who inform their customers of the option to make a no-cost tax election contribution of $105 to the Hope program. The $105 tax election comes from the state sales tax already owed on the vehicle’s purchase.
“The support of Florida’s car dealers and tax collectors is critical to raising awareness of bullying,” said Bill Ussery, Hope’s Senior Development Officer at Step Up For Students, which administers the scholarship. “The finance and business managers at our state’s dealerships and our county tax collector offices support Florida’s students by actively informing customers about the Hope Scholarship and their tax election option.”
To learn more about the Hope Scholarship Program or additional scholarship programs, visit www.stepupforstudents.org.
