CORNER BROOK — The Western School District wants to know what students, staff and parents of its schools think about bullying.
And to find out the school board has launched an online survey.
The aim of the survey is to determine what, if any, problems schools in the district have when it comes to bullying, said Eugene May, the board’s education officer for student support services.
And once the results are in, to implement measures to deal with it.
May said the survey was brought about last year in dealing with some issues. He made reference to there being a problem at one school, but declined to name the school.
May said the board wanted to identify what the real issue was.
“So we decided to go survey different people and when we got the information back, the school and everybody involved realized it was really good information,” May said. “ It allowed them to really target the issues they were dealing with and to know the issues they were dealing with.”
In looking at the initial results, he said the board thought it would be useful information for every school to have and decided to expand the survey.
Individual results
May said the survey has now been expanded to include 65 schools in the district, and all students in Grades 4 to Level 3 will complete the survey. Staff at the schools will also participate and notices have gone out to parents as well.
The survey asks questions about safety, how safe a student feels in different areas of the school, and about communication, have they ever been affected by negative communication or communication that was hurtful.
It also asks if they are comfortable talking to parents or teachers about bullying and if they would try to stop someone from bullying someone else.
He expects all the schools will have completed the survey by the middle of March.
May said every school involved will receive a results report that will be specific to that school.
“It’s very hard for a district to do something generic for 65 schools, whereas if schools know what the specific issues are in there school then we can help and support them in dealing with any issues that would be real or evident for them,” he said.
May said once a school completes its surveys the report can be run “pretty well instantly,” and then the Safe and Caring Schools team at each school will meet to develop a plan around any issue or issues identified by the survey.
May said this could involve workshops for students and staff and using outside resources as well as those at the board level.
“Every school and every community is different,” said May, “What’s evident in one school is not in others.”
Penny Warren’s son Joshua has been the victim of bullying at school since he was in kindergarten. Now 12 years old Joshua is a student at Templeton Academy in Meadows.
Warren doesn’t think the survey will adequately address the problem.
“ ... Because in order to follow up on that there has to be someone there that’s willing to take the steps necessary,” Warren said.
She said the survey may be fine for some schools that are dealing with smaller issues, but not on the level that is present at Templeton.
Warren figures it was the incidents with her child and the fact she and her husband Todd have been vocal in the media that prompted the survey which was piloted at Templeton Academy and Corner Brook Regional High in January.
But Warren, who also has an older son at the high school, never received notification that she could participate in the survey.
Warren said that didn’t surprise her as the board is very aware of her family’s issues.
Not enough
While Warren hopes some good will come from the surveys she doubts the results will be made public and believes it would help if the public knew more about what was going on.
Warren also believes the issue of bullying has be dealt with more severe consequences.
“Because these kids know there’s no punishment available to them,” she said. “Most they’re gonna get is a slap on the wrist and maybe a two-day suspension.
“There has to be stricter laws enforced for the youth and they have to be implemented in the school. I don’t believe in bringing back the strap, but I believe there should be stricter punishments.”
And, she said parents have to co-operate with schools.
“There’s got to be less tolerance for the foolishness that’s going on,” Warren said.
Warren plans to contact the school board to see if she can complete a survey.
“I think whatever they can do to get any help there, the school should be willing to accept that,” she said. “Even if they’ve got to take in outside sources, whatever it takes to get this issue solved.”
Warren said bullying is always going to be there, “it’s just at what level are they going to tolerate it.”
