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Teachers And Principals Will Be Able To More Effectively Deal With
The Issue Of Bullying In Their Schools
GUELPH, ON, Feb. 23 /CNW/ - The McGuinty government is helping teachers
and principals reduce bullying in Ontario schools through a comprehensive
training initiative, Education Minister Kathleen Wynne announced today with
her Parliamentary Assistant Liz Sandals.
"The best way of handling bullying is to prevent it from happening in the
first place," said Wynne. "And one of the best ways to prevent bullying is by
training our principals and teachers to recognize and intervene in a timely
way to stop this behaviour."
The McGuinty government is investing $4.5 million over three years to
enable almost 25,000 teachers to receive training through workshops and an
innovative e-learning program. The training is being delivered in partnership
with the Ontario Teachers' Federation and its Affiliates, AEFO, ETFO, OECTA
and OSSTF. As well, the government has invested $1.2 million to train almost
7,500 vice-principals and principals to date, in partnership with the three
provincial principals' associations.
"Our partnership with the teacher federations and principals'
associations is making this important training opportunity more widely
available," said Sandals. "We believe that bullying prevention is a high
priority - and teachers, principals and parents agree - so we are providing
the resources necessary to create safer school communities."
Training for teachers will be offered to both English and French school
boards, creating a core team of teachers in every school who are equipped to
deal with a wide range of bullying-related activity and behaviour.
"Creating safe learning environments requires commitment and
responsibility across the school community, and involves students, parents and
all of the adults in the school", said Hilda Watkins, president of the Ontario
Teachers' Federation.
Bullying prevention training for both teachers and principals was
recommended by the province's Safe Schools Action Team as part of its report
entitled Shaping Safer Schools: a bullying prevention action plan.
Other initiatives undertaken as part of Ontario's bullying prevention
plan include:
<<
- Investing $3 million in a partnership with Kid's Help Phone to provide
a bullying prevention hotline 24 hours a day, seven days a week
- Having provided $1,500 for every elementary school, $2,000 for every
secondary school and $1,500 for every school authority to support a
bullying prevention program in every publicly funded school in Ontario
- Creating a registry of bullying prevention programs on the ministry's
website to provide one-stop access to a range of products which
schools can purchase to help combat bullying
- Distributing cyber bullying-prevention software for Grades 7-8 and
providing training to teachers on in-class use of the software with
students
- Creating and distributing a parent pamphlet on bullying prevention
with helpful information about what to do and where to get help if
your child is being bullied or is bullying others
"Our efforts to make Ontario schools safer are ongoing," said Wynne. "Our
government understands that safe schools are a prerequisite for student
achievement, and bullying prevention training for teachers and principals is
central to creating safe learning environments where we can reach every
student."
Disponible en français
www.edu.gov.on.ca
www.ontario.ca/progress
>>
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For further information: Michelle Despault, Minister's Office, (416) 212-3747; Patricia MacNeil, Communications Branch, (416) 325-2676; Public Inquiries: (416) 325-2929 or 1-800-387-5514, TTY: 1-800-263-2892
Other news releases disseminated by this ministry
