Facts on Bullying and Harassment

Bullying, cyber-bullying and

harassment jeopardize learning
Canadian teachers ranked cyber-bullying as their
issue of highest concern out of six listed
options 89% said bullying violence are serious
problems in our public schools1
Victims of harassment report a loss of interest in school activities, more absenteeism,
lower-quality schoolwork, lower grades, and more skipping/dropping classes, tardiness
and truancy2
Young people who report lower academic achievement levels or negative feelings
about the school environment are more likely to be involved in bullying3
71% of teachers say they usually intervene with bullying problems; but only 25% of
students say that teachers intervene4
Over half of bullied children do not report being bullied to a teacher5

Statistics on bullying and harassment

A 2010 research project studying 33 Toronto junior high and high schools reported that
49.5% of students surveyed has been bullied online6
Between 4%-12% of boys and girls grades 6 through 10 report having been bullied
once a week or more7
For boys, bullying behaviour peaks in grades nine at 47%, while it peaks for girls in
grades six, eight, and nine at 37%8
In a 2007 survey of 13-15 year-olds, over 70% reported having been bullied online and
44% reported having bullied someone at least once9
One in four students from grades seven to nine in an Alberta study reported experiencing cyber-bullying10
Over 80% of the time, bullying happens with peers around11 and 57% of the time,
bullying stops within 10 seconds when a bystander steps in12

Facts on Bullying and Harassment

Trends in bullying and harassment
Since 2002, fighting behaviour had increased, especially in grades six and eight. As
many as 18% of boys and 8% of girls report having been in four or more fights in the past
year13
Boys are more likely to experience direct forms of bullying (physical aggression) while
girls experience more indirect forms of bullying including cyber-bullying14
Sexual harassment is higher for boys in grades six and seven, but higher for girls in
grades nine and ten15

Facts On Bullying and Harassment. Charity. Canadian Red Cross. 1999-2015. Web. 18 Nov 2015.
<http://www.redcross.ca>.

Policies on Bullying and Harassment

Making your environment safer
Policies on bullying and harassment provide a roadmap
for schools and organizations to
confidently address these issues. Good polices
also promote continuity and ensure that matters
are dealt with in a consistent, fair way so that everyone
knows what is expected of him or her. Having clear polices on bullying shows everyone that the school or organization is acting in a safe and legally
responsible manner.

Effective policies: Six key elements1

1. Purpose, scope and application of the policy
This should cover the schools or organizations values about bullying and harassment, and state
exactly who and what situations are covered by the policy
2. Standard of behaviour
This defines what behaviours are expected and what behaviours are unacceptable. Clear definitions of bullying and harassment heed to be included
3. Procedures for receiving and reviewing complaints
These procedures must satisfy the legal requirements of procedural fairness; describe how the
school or organization will respond to a complaint; show how the information will be gathered;
and outline how the behaviour will be reviewed and how a decision about the behaviour will be
made
4. Reporting systems and framework
The systems and framework must be set up to be accessible to all children, youth and adults.
People must know where they can report and how their report will be handled
5. Disciplinary sanctions
This guideline should offer a range of sanctions and help the school or organization apply those
that are appropriate and fair for the particular situation
6. Appeal mechanism
This includes the recourse an individual may take if he or she is dissatisfied with the outcome.
This section should also include reference to mediation routes
1

Findlay and Corbett, 2001

Policies On Bullying and Harassment. Charity. Canadian Red Cross. 1999-2015. Web. 18 Nov 2015.
<http://www.redcross.ca>.

Lethbridge School District No. 51

Board Of Trustees: Policies

100.1 Mission Statement
Policy
The mission of Lethbridge School District No. 51 is to empower students with the knowledge,
skills, and attributes to succeed as caring, responsible, and effective Canadian citizens.

500 Students
500.1 Rights and Responsibilities
502.4 Harassment and Discrimination - Students (Policy & Procedure)

600 Educational Program

605.1 Inclusive Learning Supports (Policy & Procedure)
605.5 Inclusive Learning Supports - Early Childhood Services (ECS)
Policies. The Lethbridge School District Policy Handbook. Lethbridge School District No. 51.
Administration. 2015. Web. 18 Nov 2015. <http://www.lethargic.ab.ca/Policies.php>.

The Alberta
Teachers Association

Diversity, Equity and Human Rights

Principles, Definitions and Fundamental Elements

The Associations work in the area of diversity, equity and human rights has four broad goals:
1. foster the development of a safe and caring, inclusive school culture that provides students with a broad range
of educational experiences that reflect the diversity of the community
2. ensure that student learning is based on giving all students an equal opportunity to meet high standards,
using a curriculum and assessment methods that reflect the diverse nature of knowledge and that draws on
differences among people to enrich learning and engaging students as active citizens;
3. ensure that professional development for teachers encourages them to engage in reflective practice and
research, helps them to accommodate diversity in the classroom and helps them understand how social class and
power relationships contribute to sexism, racism and other forms of marginalization; and
4. advocate for a form of educational governance and administration that provide adequate and equitable
funding to schools, regards educational funding as an investment in the broader community, uses a broad range
of accountability measures that reflect the complex nature of learning and supports research that sheds light on
the complex relationships among poverty, racism and all forms of marginalization. These goals recognize the
importance of adapting a multifaceted and research-based approach to promoting equity, human rights and
respect for diversity.

Diversity, Equity and Human Rights. Position Papers. The Alberta Teachers Association.
Governance. 2003rv2013. 2015. Web. 12 Nov 2015. <http://www.teachers.ab.ca>.
Other Readings:
Government of Alberta. Supporting Every Student. Alberta Education. Admission. 1995-2015. Web. 18 Nov 2015.
<http://education.alberta.ca>.
Lucas-Molina, Beatriz et al. Effects of Teacher-Student Relationships on Peer Harassment: A Multilevel Study.
Psychology in the Schools. 52.3(Mar 2015): 298-315. Wiley Online Library. Web. 17 Nov 2015.
<http://onlinelibrary.wiley.ezproxy.alu.talor>.