SHAPE Program

SHAPE-Coin-w-K9 - Copy SHAPE stands for Safety, Health, and a Positive Environment. The program was developed in 2013 by the Fairfield Police Department School Safety Division as an alternative to the D.A.R.E. program. It is designed to support students in making safe, healthy choices and in understanding how their decisions impact their own well being and the school community around them.

SHAPE is not a standalone or separate curriculum in the traditional sense. It is designed to align with and reinforce the Fairfield Public Schools health curriculum, as well as applicable state curriculum guidelines. Topics are age appropriate, coordinated with the district, and integrated into what students are already learning in their health classes. The School Safety Division works closely with the district health curriculum coordinator to ensure consistency and appropriateness of content.

The SHAPE Decision Making Model

At the core of the program is the SHAPE decision making model, which provides students with a simple and consistent framework they can use when faced with challenges or difficult choices:

S - Stop and Think
H - Have a Problem?
A - Assess the Choices
P - Pick a Choice
E - Evaluate the Outcome

This model is intentionally straightforward so that students can apply it in many different situations, including peer pressure, online interactions, and everyday decision making. Students also receive a SHAPE student workbook that highlights key concepts and activities completed in class.

Family Partnership

Family engagement is a critical part of why SHAPE is effective. Students are encouraged to talk with their families about the topics covered in class. Parents and caregivers can support this work by asking questions, reviewing what was discussed in SHAPE lessons, and using the SHAPE decision making steps when working through real life situations at home.

5th Grade SHAPE

In fifth grade, SHAPE is delivered as a series of classroom lessons. Every fifth grade class will receive five one hour lessons. This equates to approximately 225 total classes and 225 hours of instruction by our School Resources Officers each year.

The fifth grade curriculum focuses on the following core topic areas:

Decision Making and Peer Pressure

Introduction and practice of the SHAPE decision making model, emphasizing stopping to think, assessing choices, and understanding possible consequences.
Discussion of positive and negative peer pressure, including how friends and classmates can influence decision making.
Strategies for responding to unhealthy peer pressure, such as saying no, giving a reason, walking away, changing the subject, and choosing friends who make good decisions.

How families can help: Ask your child to walk through how they might handle common situations using the SHAPE steps. Examples include being pressured to join in unkind behavior, to hide something from adults, or to participate in unsafe online activity.

Bullying and Positive Peer Behavior

Definition of bullying as repeated, unwanted, aggressive behavior used to target, control, or harm another student.
Types of bullying, including physical, verbal, social, and cyberbullying.
Discussion of in person behavior and digital behavior, including issues that can arise through group texting, messaging apps, gaming chats, and social media.
Emphasis on how digital actions can impact others, the permanence of online posts, and the responsibility that comes with using technology.
Clarifying the difference between tattling and reporting, and when it is important to involve a trusted adult.
Encouraging students to act as upstanders rather than bystanders by speaking up, seeking help, or supporting peers who are being targeted.

How families can help: Talk through examples of respectful behavior both in person and online. Review expectations for group chats, texting, and social media use, and discuss when and how your child should seek help if a situation feels unsafe, mean spirited, or uncomfortable.

Internet Safety and Digital Responsibility

Online privacy, including what personal information is and why it should be protected.
Safe and appropriate communication online, including tone, language, and respect for others.
Safe gaming and social media practices, such as using nicknames, choosing appropriate avatars, avoiding suspicious links, and using privacy settings.
Recognizing concerning online behavior and knowing when to report it to a trusted adult.
Helping students recognize the risks associated with strangers on the internet, including the fact that people online may not be who they say they are, and the importance of never meeting or communicating privately with unknown individuals without a trusted adult’s knowledge and permission.

How families can help: Review household rules for device use, online communication, games, and social media. Check privacy settings together, talk about who your child interacts with online, and encourage open communication about anything that feels uncomfortable or confusing.

Substance Awareness

Age appropriate discussion of medication safety, tobacco, alcohol, marijuana, and other drugs.
Exploring the difference between appropriate or "good" drugs, such as prescribed or over the counter medication taken as directed under adult supervision, and inappropriate or "bad" drug use, including misuse of medication and illegal substances.
Emphasis on health impacts, decision making, and the importance of following rules and laws related to substance use.

How families can help: Reinforce that children should only take medication from a trusted adult and exactly as directed. Discuss family rules regarding substances, answer questions about what children may see in the community or media, and encourage them to ask if they are unsure about something.

Stress and Coping Skills

Recognizing what stress is and how it may feel physically and emotionally.
Identifying common stressors for students, such as school work, friendships, activities, and family responsibilities.
Learning healthy coping strategies, including exercise, hobbies, talking with friends or trusted adults, and problem solving using the SHAPE decision making model.
Encouraging students to build a "support web" of trusted adults at home, at school, and in the community.

How families can help: Talk with your child about situations that feel stressful and brainstorm healthy ways to cope together. Help identify the trusted adults in their support web and encourage your child to reach out when needed.

Bicycle Safety

Brief overview of bicycle safety and rider responsibility.
Importance of wearing a properly fitted helmet and being visible to drivers and pedestrians.
Basic rules of the road, awareness of traffic, and safe riding in neighborhoods and shared roadways.

How families can help: Review bicycle rules before riding, check helmets and equipment together, and model safe riding behavior.

6th Grade SHAPE

In sixth grade, SHAPE is delivered through three one hour assemblies at each of the three middle schools, for a total of nine assemblies and approximately nine hours of instruction. These assemblies build on the concepts introduced in fifth grade and revisit them at a higher level, with additional focus on laws, consequences, and age appropriate real life examples as students mature.

Sixth grade topics include:

Stress Management and Resilience

Review of stress and coping strategies with greater emphasis on time management, balancing responsibilities, and healthy outlets.
Encouraging students to recognize when stress is becoming overwhelming and to seek help from trusted adults or school support staff.

Internet and Social Media Safety

Reinforcement of digital responsibility, privacy, and safe communication as students increase their use of devices and social media platforms.
Discussion of more complex online situations, including group chats, digital drama, and the long term impact of posting or sharing content.

Bullying, Harassment, and Potential Legal Ramifications

Review of bullying and cyberbullying, with a stronger focus on how repeated harassment can affect others and when behavior may rise to the level of a school rule violation or, in some cases, a potential legal concern.
Emphasis on responsible choices, the importance of reporting serious concerns, and understanding that words and actions, including online, can carry consequences.

Effective Communication and Getting Help

Building on communication skills introduced in fifth grade, including active listening, respectful disagreement, and seeking help when needed.
Encouraging students to speak with parents, school staff, or other trusted adults about safety concerns, peer conflicts, or anything that makes them feel unsafe or unsure.

Continuing the Conversation at Home

Across all lessons in both fifth and sixth grade, students are encouraged to identify trusted adults at school and at home and to speak up when something feels unsafe, uncomfortable, or confusing. Families play an essential role in reinforcing these messages. Regular conversation about school, friendships, online activity, and decision making helps students feel supported and more likely to seek help when they need it.

The Fairfield Police Department School Safety Division is available to answer questions about SHAPE or to provide parent presentations through PTAs and school events. Sessions can be tailored to the needs of each school community and can include topics taught within the SHAPE program, as well as broader school safety and digital citizenship topics.

S.H.A.P.E