Superintendent of Schools, Teresa Downs addresses policy and procedures to address bullying in schools after parent voices concerns about bullying at Desert Sands Community School. She spoke with Valley TV Host of The Rural Perspective, Dana Foster.

In the discussion, Superintendent Downs outlined district wide efforts to address this issue and to create a safe environment free from bullying, harassment and discrimination, and procedures parents should take in addressing such concerns.

She says that the district is committed to creating a safe and secure environment in which every member of the community can engage in meaningful interactions and it has policies on their website site. She directed parents and community members to review the policies.

All staff, parental authority figures and volunteers agree to uphold the Code of Conduct, including understanding that engaging in inappropriate behaviour will result in disciplinary action up to and including expulsion from the school premises, according to Downs.

Their Bullying Policy states:

The Board recognizes that there are four types of bullying that are serious and need to be addressed:

Physical - includes hitting, kicking, tripping, pinching and pushing, or damaging property.

Verbal - includes name-calling, insults, teasing, intimidation, homophobic or racist remarks, or verbal abuse.

Social - includes behavioural actions designed to harm a child’s reputation or cause humiliation, like lying and spreading rumours, negative facial gestures, playing mean jokes to embarrass or humiliate a child, mimicking the child in a mean way, encouraging social exclusion of a child, etc.

Cyber - includes taunting or humiliation through social media or the Internet, cruel websites targeting specific youth, humiliating others while playing online games, verbal or emotional bullying through chat rooms, instant message or texting, posting photos of other youth on websites, etc.

All students deserve a safe, inclusive and welcoming learning environment. Bullying is a pattern of deliberate and repeated unwelcome or aggressive behavior, often with the goal of hurting others or making them uncomfortable or scared. The board expects schools to be safe, caring and orderly and to create opportunities to proactively teach learners about social and emotional wellness of themselves and others, their rights and responsibilities, and the positive role of the bystander.

The project is funded by the Department of Canadian Heritage and administered by the Canadian Association of Community Television Users and Stations (CACTUS).