The District School Board of Niagara (DSBN) believes that a safe, inclusive, and accepting learning environment that promotes healthy relationships and behaviors is essential for student success and well-being. A whole-school approach to an inclusive school culture based on caring and respectful relationships among and between students, teachers, other school staff, parents, and school administrators is a necessary supporting condition for learning.
The DSBN recognizes that:
In the Education Act, ““bullying”” is defined as aggressive and typically repeated behaviour by a student where,
AND
This definition includes the use of any physical, verbal, electronic, written, or other means. It also includes electronic means (commonly known as cyber-bullying), including,
Cyber-bullying is the act of engaging in bullying behaviors through electronic means such as social media platforms, email, text or direct messaging, digital gaming and/or communication applications.
Examples of cyber-bullying may include:
Increasing the use of digital platforms enhances the threat of cyber-bullying as well as other safety risks.
Bullying, including cyber-bullying, may intersect with other forms of sexual exploitation including, but not limited to, sextortion and the non-consensual sharing of intimate images. Traffickers and other sexual predators are increasingly using fake accounts to pose as acquaintances or friends of children and youth to lure, groom and recruit them into engaging in sexual acts or services. Children and youth who experience bullying are at increased risk for being sex trafficked. (See PPM No. 166, “Keeping students safe: policy framework for school board anti-sex trafficking protocols.”) .
Identity-based or bias-based bullying refers to any form of bullying related to an individual’s social identity/ies (actual or perceived) or minority status, race, ethnicity, religious beliefs, cultural practices, ability/disability, gender, or sexual orientation. This form of bullying is characterized by:
Sexual harassment is a form of bullying or harassment that involves unwelcome and unwanted attention, both physical and verbal. Also described as sexual bullying, sexual harassment refers to bullying or harassment that is sexualized in nature, related to sexuality, and/or related to gender expression or identity. It can have the effect of hurting a person’s dignity and making them feel uncomfortable or unsafe.
Parents play a critical role in the lives of students. It is vital that all those involved in schools are confident with the measures in place to protect students from harm.
This policy and its accompanying DSBN Bullying Intervention and Prevention Plan provides information on who to contact, as well as additional resources on bullying prevention. Parents should contact the school to report incidents of bullying.
Following a serious incident of bullying, including cyber-bullying, the school administrator will notify parents of the involved students, except in certain circumstances, and will invite parents to discuss supports for their children. Requirements for notifying parents are outlined in PPM 145.
The DSBN utilizes several evidence-based strategies in bullying awareness and prevention aimed at all students. These include establishing and enforcing school rules, as well as promoting safe and healthy relationships through curricula and school activities.
Expectations for appropriate behaviour are set out in Policy G-08: DSBN Code of Conduct for Schools, which is based on PPM 128. All DSBN schools have a link to Policy G-08 on their school website.
Students and staff are provided with resources and strategies for recognizing the various forms of bullying and the actions that can be taken by those witnessing the behaviour, as well as those for promoting the development of skills for healthy relationships.. Classroom instruction and school-wide activities include social-emotional (SEL) curricula, as well as learning grounded in the principles of equity and inclusion.. Resources and special activities are also highlighted on DSBN Recognition Days/Weeks (e.g., Bullying Awareness and Prevention Week, Wear Anything Pink Day, and Mental Health Week).
The DSBN respects and upholds the importance of equity, inclusion, dignity, and human rights in all learning and working environments so individuals from all social realities and lived experiences are valued. The DSBN aims to support each individual learner in a way that promotes their inclusion and full participation in learning. The principles of equity and inclusion are embedded in the learning environment to foster a positive school climate and a culture of mutual respect.
The DSBN advances a whole-school approach to bullying prevention and intervention that is guided by a framework of Culturally Responsive and Relevant Pedagogy (CRRP). A culturally responsive approach to establishing a positive school climate ensures that all student identities and cultures, along with those of the wider school community, are affirmed and validated. A CRRP approach to bullying prevention and intervention encompasses the following areas: classroom instruction and climate; school climate; supportive interventions; student voice; parent/family relations and outreach; community connections; and professional development.
The DSBN’s focus on bullying prevention and intervention is guided by a trauma-informed approach, which recognizes the impact of trauma in students’ lives and different bullying scenarios. A trauma-informed approach involves creating safe and caring school climates to prevent re-traumatization or trauma-related triggers and providing students with the necessary professional support that will help them to develop skills to manage stress, form healthy relationships, and make responsible decisions.
DSBN employees who work directly with students – including School Administrators, teachers, and other school staff – must respond to any student behaviour that is likely to have a negative impact on the school climate. Such inappropriate behaviour may include bullying. DSBN employees take all allegations of bullying behaviour seriously and will act in a timely, sensitive, and supportive manner when responding to students who disclose or report bullying incidents. Schools will establish procedures to allow students to report bullying incidents safely and in a way that will minimize the possibility of reprisal.
A variety of supports and interventions are made available to students who have been bullied, witnessed incidents of bullying, or engaged in bullying. Supports are individualized based on the circumstances of the incident (from early intervention to more intensive interventions). Where bullying behaviour has occurred, a progressive discipline approach will be applied, which includes a range of interventions, supports, and consequences with a focus on improving behaviour.
For students with special education needs, all interventions and supports will be differentiated based on student strengths, needs, and learning profile.
Serious incidents are reported by staff to the school administrator(s) to ensure that appropriate actions are taken to address the incidents and protect students. Reports to the school administrator by school staff are made as soon as possible, and no later than the end of the school day. If the incident is violent, the school principal will follow the DSBN Police Protocol with regional police.
The school administrator will respond to bullying incidents through a framework of progressive discipline. Where a student in grades 4 and 12 engages in bullying, the school administrator may suspend the student or refer the student for expulsion, after an investigation, in accordance with the Education Act. Students from kindergarten to grade three who engage in bullying are typically provided with learning and behaviour supports in the school setting as an alternative to suspension. Policy G-28: Student Discipline is aligned with Ontario Regulation 440/20 Suspension of Elementary Pupils.
The DSBN provides annual professional development programs to educate administrators, teachers, and other school staff about strategies for promoting a positive school climate to prevent and reduce bullying. This includes training grounded in the principles of equity and inclusion and culturally responsive and relevant pedagogy. A component of Safe and Accepting Schools is to assemble a Safe and Accepting Schools Team who is responsible for fostering a safe, inclusive, and accepting school climate. The Team should be chaired by a staff member and includes at least one student, at least one parent/caregiver, a teacher, a non-teaching staff member or, community partner, and the school administrator. An existing school committee (e.g., the Healthy Schools Committee) can assume this role
The DSBN actively communicates policies and plans on bullying prevention and intervention to school administrators, students, parents/caregivers, teachers, and other school staff. This information is also provided to the board’s Special Education Advisory Committee (SEAC), Indigenous Education Advisory Council (IEAC), School Councils, Parent Involvement Committee (PIC), Equity, Inclusion and Anti-Racism Community Advisory Committee (EIARCAC), and other appropriate community partners.
The DSBN School Culture Student Survey is an anonymous online survey that provides families and students with an opportunity to provide input on the school culture. It fulfills the Ministry of Education requirement that all schools in Ontario implement a school climate survey for students every two years.
Building a positive school culture requires a collective commitment where the voices of students, families and school staff are essential. Data collected,