Minister announces Safe and Caring Schools Provincial Action Plan

Education Minister Judy Foote announced today the Department of Education has developed a Safe and Caring Schools Provincial Action Plan. The provincial action plan is designed to address issues of violence in schools and to ensure that students attend safe and caring learning environments.

The action plan was developed to implement identified goals in the department�s Safe and Caring Schools Initiative which was announced in the fall of 2001 to address the concern of bullying in schools throughout Newfoundland and Labrador. In May 2002, the Department of Education sponsored a provincial Forum on School Bullying which brought together representatives from government, schools, school districts and community partners. A follow-up session was held in the fall of last year with school and school board representatives. These consultations resulted in a province-wide commitment to a Safe and Caring Schools Action Plan which highlights short and long-term goals for the future of the Safe and Caring School Initiative.

"This action plan is the result of a strong resolve among education stakeholders and community organizations to address the issue of bullying and violence in our schools," said Minister Foote. "We came together to ensure our students are free to take advantage of all aspects of school life. They must be assured they are attending safe, violence-free learning environments where respect for themselves and each other is standard practice."

One of the key goals of the plan is to ensure all school districts have policies in place by April 2003 which address violence prevention in the schools. While government is studying policies that exist in other provinces with a view to developing a policy specific to Newfoundland and Labrador, it is imperative that school districts have guidelines which can be followed by schools under their jurisdiction.

"Students and teachers must know what is expected of them, what resources are available to them, and what their rights are with respect to bullying or harassment in the schools," said Minister Foote.

The department is working to ensure there are sufficient student and parent resources to provide insight and help when dealing with violence in the schools. The department is preparing a brochure for students and parents which outlines the Safe and Caring Schools Initiative. The department�s resource, Policy, Guidelines and Resource Guide on Discipline, Violence and Safe School Teams, which guides school and district planning, will be reprinted and distributed to all school districts. Other department resources will also be reprinted and redistributed.

"Creating safe and peaceful schools for our children requires a coordinated, sustained approach," said Minister Foote. "It requires innovative programs that speak to the students - both potential bullies and the victims of bullying. I am pleased to announce today the Department of Education has purchased a bullying prevention program developed in British Columbia. The program offers practical ideas and strategies for effectively dealing with bullies. Since this effective program already exists, we did not have to investment time and money into developing our own."

Entitled Focus on Bully: A Prevention Program for Elementary School Communities and Focus on Harassment and Intimidation: Responding to Bullying in Secondary School Communities, these resources are currently being adapted by department officials and board personnel to reflect this province�s curriculum and will be provided to every school in September 2003.

The department is also providing relevant resources and in-servicing for teachers and district personnel on accepted methods to deal with violence and bullying. The action plan stresses the need for professional development which will help teachers cope with unacceptable or violent behaviour from students. The department has developed a two day in-service entitled Meeting Behavioural Challenges. A professional development package is also being developed to complement the British Columbia resources. Additionally, in partnership with the Newfoundland and Labrador Teachers� Association, the department is organizing Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM) training for school districts throughout 2003.

Government will purchase a series of training videos on the Cooperative Discipline program for each school district. These videos will be used by trainers in each of the boards to in-service teachers in the program. Cooperative Discipline is a realistic approach to classroom management. It offers conflict resolution suggestions and ideas for establishing a safe and caring classroom environment. Further, the department will provide all primary schools with copies of Trevor and the Bully, a book on bullying designed for children aged five to eight which was published by the Grand Falls-Windsor Committee Against Violence. This will include a large book for teachers to read aloud to students and several smaller books that students can borrow to take home and share with their parents and caregivers.

"Our action plan is a result of discussions between students, teachers and specialists throughout the province. It reflects the needs of students and teachers as identified by them during our consultation process," said Minister Foote. "We are committed to ensuring each student receives the benefits of the highest quality education in the safest environments we can provide for them."

The Safe and Caring Schools Action Plan can be viewed at:

www.gov.nl.ca/edu/pub/actionplan.pdf

Media contact: Carmel Turpin, Communications, (709) 729-0048

2003 02 14                                       1:25 p.m.