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Bullying Prevention Fact Sheet

November 15, 2021

Winnipeg School Division is committed to providing safe and caring places for learning. We are guided by Manitoba’s Safe and Inclusive legislation to be proactive in creating and sustaining safe schools. Creating a sense of belonging and safety for our school communities helps address priority areas of public education, which include:

  • Supporting students in meeting high levels of achievement 
  • Applying principles of equity and inclusion throughout the education system
  • Developing global citizens actively involved in economic, social-cultural and environmental sustainability.
  • Supporting well-being (cognitive, emotional, social, physical)
  • Engaging parents, education partners, and communities in decisions around education

In an inclusive, safe and caring school, the whole school community develops awareness, skills and knowledge for well-being, positive relationships and solution focused problem solving. Students affected by bullying behaviours and other forms of harm receive support to address and restore their sense of safety and belonging. Students exhibiting bullying behaviours also receive support and necessary intervention. Schools recognize the complex nature and impact of bullying behaviours and the importance of whole-school planning for safety and response.

Manitoba Safe and Inclusive Schools Legislation

The Safe Schools Charter became provincial law in 2004 making it a duty of schools to provide students with safe and caring school environments. Since 2005, all Manitoba schools are required to have a code of conduct and a current emergency response plan with the support of a Safe School Advisory Committee.

If a principal believes a student has been harmed, they will notify a student’s parents/guardians.

Adapted from: Manitoba Education. Safe and Caring Schools, A Whole-School Approach to Planning for Safety and Belonging, 2017. https://www.edu.gov.mb.ca/k12/docs/support/whole_school/index.html

Defining a Whole-School Approach

A whole-school approach to planning for safe, caring and inclusive schools views the school as a multi-dimensional and interactive system. This approach is implemented through coordinated planning that facilitates shared leadership and engages the school community with an understanding that all members (e.g., students, parents, educators, school, and community) assume responsibility for safety and belonging.

With a focus on comprehensive school health, a whole-school planning process for safety involves identifying needs, establishing priorities and reflecting on evidence. A three-tiered continuum of supports is developed with strengths-based strategies and practices. Whole-school implementation involves building capacity throughout the school community through collaborative action to create conditions for well-being, safety, and learning. 

Professional Learning Opportunities and Resources

A strong correlation exists between bullying and mental health issues.  The Inclusion Support Services Professional Development and Resource Guide provides a detailed list of PD opportunities for staff as well as a listing of programs, resources and apps to be used with students, staff and community. Professional learning opportunities provided to educators in Winnipeg School Division address bullying through such offerings as Trauma Informed Schools, ASIST (Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training) and Mental Health Awareness: An Indigenous Perspective. All new staff receive training in Kids in the Know, Substance Use Education and Awareness, Mental Health Literacy and Teaching About Sexuality.  

Various divisional professional cohorts who meet regularly focus their work on fostering and embracing inclusion, equity and diversity in all learning environments and communities across the division.

Professional staff is available for ongoing consultation, support and planning, and to conduct school-based workshops on topics related to developing safe schools, bullying prevention, cyberbullying, understanding gender and sexuality in children and youth, as well as establishing healthy boundaries.

Curriculum and Programs

All WSD schools are expected to engage in preventative programming focusing on developing positive school climates and promoting pro-social behaviour. A preventative approach includes the development of a positive school-wide approach, data collection, procedures to respond to incidents, parent involvement and professional support. WSD has identified six high-quality, comprehensive bullying prevention programs for use in all schools:

  1. Beyond the Hurt (Grades 6-12) 
  2. Cyber-Bullying Canadian Centre for Child Protection (Grades 7-10)
  3. Kids in the Know (Nursery-8)
  4. PBIS - Positive Behavioural Interventions & Support (Grades N-12)
  5. Roots of Empathy (Kindergarten-Grade 8)
  6. Second Step (Nursery-Grade 8)

These evidence-informed programs are aimed at preventing and reducing incidents of bullying while making schools safer and more positive for students. Sources of Strength, Speak Up, Stigma-Free Society Mental Health Toolkit, and Project 11 are among other programs being offered in schools throughout the division that focus on wellness, stigma reduction and bully prevention.

The Physical Education/Health Education curriculum also has specific learning outcomes related to personal and social management.

Divisional Support

  • Divisional support services are provided through Guidance Counsellors, Clinicians, Safe Schools Support Teachers, Grad Coaches, etc. to help students and families impacted by bullying and harassment
  • Divisional steering committees include Inclusion Across the Rainbow, Mental Health, and Safe Schools
  • Resources and activities honour Truth and Reconciliation including Orange Shirt Day
  • Students participate in annual anti-bullying campaigns, such as Day of Pink / Pink Shirt Day

Supports for Caregivers 

Successful programming reaches beyond a school’s boundaries to integrate a number of resources from the community, with a strong emphasis on parental involvement. Workshops for parents include a variety of topics such as on-line bullying, child protection and exploitation, as well as children and youth mental wellness. 

Parents/Guardians can ask their child’s school for copies of three different divisional pamphlets about how to make a difference in bullying situations:

To learn more about how bullying is addressed, caregivers may contact their child’s school.

Responding to Incidents

School Support Teams are an excellent resource to facilitate supportive conversations around the needs of an individual student and/or school community.   The members of this team (including Principal, Vice Principal, Resource Teacher, Counsellor, Clinician) can support families with navigating a response to bullying, safety and belonging.

Schools have implemented a variety of responsive practices to help manage conflict and tensions by focusing upon repairing harm and strengthening relationships, some of which include:

  • Conflict resolution programming
  • Peer mediation programming
  • Conflict manager programs
  • Restorative practices
  • Circle of Courage

Poster Campaign 

WSD has developed a number of posters for elementary and secondary students on the topics of bullying and cyberbullying, mental health and inclusion. These posters are distributed to schools upon request.

For More Information

Other resources designed to help students, educators, and caregivers understand and respond to bullying behaviour include:

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