Recently, the topic of bullying came across my desk, and I made a video on youtube, where I shared my bullying experience from middle/grade school, at Washington Union School District. As much as I loved many of my teachers growing up, from the Washington Union School District, I am sad to say that much of my grade school experience was blotted by widespread bullying (I attended K - 8th at WUSD).
From what I hear, there is still a problem of bullying there, and I do not know if the school has taken steps to address the issue. I know that if I were still living in the Salinas-Monterey area, I would NOT allow my child to attend the Washington Union School District, because I wouldn't want to put my child into a situation where they may find themselves bullied.
I realize that WUSD is a phenomenal school, but please remember this: no matter how rich in resources a school is, the credibility of the teaching staff, the capability of the administrative staff, etc. NONE of that matters, if your child is being bullied. Being bullied in school is like going to war EVERY DAY, and you do what you can, just to survive the hours while you are in school.
Speaking from my own experience, I was badly bullied in grade/middle school at WUSD, and my poor grades reflected my stress. I wish my grade/middle school experience had been rich in happy memories. Unfortunately, my grade/middle school experience was VERY painful, due to being bullied from the 5th-8th grade. When I finally graduated from WUSD in the 8th grade, the bullying stopped, and I had learned coping mechanisms, that prepared me to face down someone, should I be bullied in high school. Gratefully, I was not bullied in high school, but again, I had learned coping mechanisms, and I stood up for myself, if I saw a bully coming my way.
IF you are still convinced that the Washington Union School District is the very best fit for your child, I implore you to do your homework. Interview the administrative staff, ask questions, sit in on classes....don't be afraid to be direct and ask more questions. Find out what WUSD actively does to protect their students from bullying. Better yet, ask if there is currently an anti-bullying program in place at WUSD, and what measures are taken, when a child or children are found to be bullying their peers.
Again, please take what I've read here from the perspective of an adult who was the victim of widespread bullying, while in grade/middle school, at Washington Union School District. read more