Manitoba and Saskatchewan are working to tackle bullying head on.
On Monday the Manitoba government announced it is introducing new tools for students, educators and parents to help keep schools safe.
“These new tools offer educators, parents and students real solutions to address the serious issue of bullying in schools,” said Education and Advanced Learning Minister James Allum.
Bilingual posters informing students about Kids Help Phone’s free counselling, referral and information services will be distributed to all middle and senior years schools.
Kids Help Phone is an anonymous and confidential phone and online professional counselling service for youth that is available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
Kids can call with questions and concerns about issues such as sexuality, body image, dating and relationships, mental health, online safety and bullying.
Allum also announced a new regulation requiring schools to conduct at least one lockdown drill each term or semester, in addition to the 10 fire drills already required annually.
Although serious violent incidents in schools are rare, lockdown drills are another tool schools can use to ensure staff and students know what to do and are prepared to act quickly.
During lockdown, all individuals inside the school must proceed to and remain in secure rooms within the school and all individuals outside the school must proceed to a designated evacuation staging area.
In addition, a review of school emergency response plans, which outline the role of the principal, staff, and counselling and crisis-intervention personnel in the event of an emergency, must be completed every year.
Allum added that Manitoba will continue to update laws around bullying and cyberbullying.
Meanwhile in Saskatchewan, Education Minister Don Morgan last week released his province’s Action Plan to Address Bullying and Cyberbullying.
The Saskatchewan government pledged to take the following actions:
• update policies and procedures in the education sector to ensure consistency in prevention, rapid response and intervention in bullying incidents;
• develop an anonymous online reporting tool for the reporting of bullying incidents;
• assess the implications for Saskatchewan of upcoming federal cyberbullying legislation;
• support students to develop appropriate and responsible online behaviour;
• provide a stand-alone website for anti-bullying tools and resources for students, families and educators; and
• engage youth in building solutions to address bullying.
The provinces’ announcements coincide with Bullying Awareness Week.
– Compiled from Government of Manitoba and Government of Saskatchewan news releases
