Continued Opposition to Anti-Bullying Initiatives Surprises Minister

For the second time this week, the Honourable Clyde Jackman, Minister of Education,  responded to the Official Opposition Critic’s negative reaction in the House of Assembly to initiatives undertaken by the Provincial Government, both past and present, to combat incidents of bullying and harassment among students.

“I truly cannot understand his intense opposition to these initiatives,” Minister Jackman said. “We are the government that established a Safe and Caring Schools Policy in the first place. We are the government that provided professional development and a multitude of resources to support that policy. And, we are the government that, five years later, asked for an independent review and evaluation of that policy to see where improvements could be made. That resulting report outlined 29 considerations to be taken into account when revising the Safe and Caring Schools Policy – all of which government has welcomed.”

Minister Jackman noted that contrary to the Opposition Critic’s contention that he “sat on the report” since receiving it in late August, what actually occurred is that department staff were engaged in analysis and developing an action plan to begin implementing possible changes to policy, protocols and legislation.

“The Opposition Critic asked today that I act on that report,” Minister Jackman said. “He seems to have missed the entire point. The consultations that I announced earlier this week are a direct result of issues raised in the Safe and Caring School Evaluation Report. This consultation process is the latest initiative we have undertaken since 2006 to bring this issue to the forefront – and I think we’ve had some success in that regard. People are talking about bullying. People no longer dismiss it as an unavoidable rite of passage – and people are no longer tolerating it.”

The Safe and Caring Schools Policy was introduced as part of the Provincial Government’s over-arching Violence Prevention Initiative. Over the years, the initiative has been proactive in developing programs aimed at early intervention and education on violence prevention, including:

• Province-wide professional development and special training to school district leaders, principals, teachers and other school personnel;
   
• Online resources for students, parents and teachers to help in their efforts to address violence among students;
   
• A requirement that every school have its own school development plan which speaks to how they can make safe and caring issues a part of their unique school culture;
   
• The expansion of Violence Awareness Week activities, including the provincial promotion of Pink Day to encourage students to take a leadership role in anti-bullying activities at their schools;
   
• The implementation of the Safe and Caring Schools Special Projects awards, which provide $20,000 ($500 to 40 schools) annually to support school-based initiatives to combat bullying;
   
• The introduction of the annual Safe and Caring Awards, which provide 15 graduating students with a $500 post-secondary tuition voucher in recognition of their individual efforts to address violence and harassment in schools;
   
• The introduction of the MyGSA resource for all schools offering Grades 7-12 ($90,000); and,
   
• New annual student surveys which include questions regarding bullying.

The Safe and Caring Schools/School Act, 1997 consultation website can be viewed at: www.ed.gov.nl.ca/edu/consultations/index.html. 

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Media contact:
Heather May
Director of Communications
Department of Education
709-729-0048, 697-5061
heathermay@gov.nl.ca 

2012 11 22             4:50 p.m.