Bullying Prevention and Awareness

Well-Being & Bullying Prevention Plan

2025/2026

Our 2025–2026 Well-Being & Bullying Prevention Plan outlines our school’s commitment to fostering a safe, inclusive and respectful environment for all students. It highlights the strategies, supports and proactive approaches we use to promote well-being and prevent bullying within our school community. 

Well-Being and Bullying Prevention /Intervention Action Plan 2025/2026

Together We Can Stop Bullying

This information explains how the Halton District School Board works to provide a positive and inclusive school environment for students to succeed. A positive and inclusive school environment is essential for student success. Staff, students, parents and community have a part to play in making our schools safe.​

Confidential Reporting of Bullying

What is Bullying?

Bullying is defined as aggressive and typically repeated behavior by a student, where the behaviour is intended to have the effect of (the student should know that the behaviour would cause):

  • harm, fear, or distress to another person, including physical, psychological, social or academic harm, harm to the individual's reputation or harm to the individual's property.
  • create a negative environment at school for another individual.

What is Bullying?

  • creating a site or blog where the owner assumes the identity of another person
  • impersonating another person as the author of content or messages posted online
  • communicating material electronically to others or posting on a website that is accessible by more than one person.

What is Bullying?

Curriculum connections: All teachers are responsible for supporting students in developing relationships in all learning environments. This includes bullying prevention learning in daily teacher practice through a variety of curriculum links. 
​Teachers use various programs and strategies to ensure the school environment is inclusive. This may include bullying prevention programs such as LINK Crew, Restorative Practices, RespectED, Beyond the Hurt and Safe Schools Ambassadors. Schools also participate in the Give Respect - Get Respect program in conjunction with the Halton Regional Police Service. Every school is required to have a Bullying Prevention and Intervention Plan and all staff are to follow the Bullying Response Protocol.

HDSB Bullying Response Protocol

Bullying is defined as aggressive and typically repeated behavior by a student, where the behaviour is intended to have the effect of (the student should know that the behaviour would cause):

  • harm, fear, or distress to another person, including physical, psychological, social or academic harm, harm to the individual's reputation or harm to the individual's property.
  • create a negative environment at school for another individual.

HDSB Bullying Response Protocol

When bullying is observed, noticed or reported, staff intervene immediately and describe what they saw or heard.  

  • ​Staff meet with the student(s) who was harmed to acknowledge their experience and provide ​a supportive and affirming response.  
  • When incidents involve discriminatory or harmful language, staff follow the Discriminatory & Harmful Language Protocol​​.​

  • Staff identify the type of bullying involved (e.g., physical, social, etc.). If they’re unsure, they inform students that there will be follow-up conversations to bet
  • ter understand what happened. 
  • Staff highlight and explain the impact of the bullying and make the expectation for it to stop clear to the students involved. They also reassure the student(s) who were harmed that it's not their fault. ​

Transparency with students, staff and parents/caregivers is maintained throughout the process. 
  • Connecting with Administration: Staff work with school administrators to create a plan that supports the well-being of the student involved and keeps parents/caregivers informed and engaged throughout the process. They also work together to gain a clearer understanding of the situation by reviewing past incidents, interviewing witnesses and summarizing their findings.
  • Communicating: Staff will communicate with the parents/caregivers of the students involved early and often throughout the 
  • process, ensuring they are informed when students are in the office for the purpose of investigation.​
Documenting/Reporting: All staff are required to document and report incidents of bullying to the principal. ​​

  • Staff regularly check-in with the students/parents/caregivers to monitor the plan for student well-being and ensure they are well supported.
  • Administrators will communicate findings of the Safe Schools incident, while centring support for all involved and identifying and addressing systemic issues that may indirectly/directly contribute to incidents of bullying.​​

  • All sta​ff must stop, identify, explain, support, report and be accountable for bullying.
  • All staff are expected to centre human rights and provide a learning environment that is inclusive and respectful for all students, and engage in continuous professional development to address bullying and harmful behaviors.

Schools must promote and support a positive and inclusive environment for all.​

Be Your Child's Champion

Whether your child is the target of bullying, is engaging in bullying behaviour or is witnessing bullying behaviour, once your child has come forward, it's your turn to take action:
  • Arrange a meeting for you and your child with the teacher and/or principal/vice principal.
  • Bring with you the specific information you've gathered about the bullying incident(s).
  • Work with your child and school personnel on a plan to address what your child needs right now to feel safe; what your child can do to avoid being bullied and to stand up to any future bullying; and who your child go to for help.  

Well-Being Teams

Beginning in 2016-2017, anti-bullying initiatives will be led by schoolwide Well-Being Teams in every Halton school. These teams are composed of staff, parents, students, and other members of the school community.  

Child and Youth Workers

Some students may require assistance in dealing with behavioral, social, emotional and academic issues in their school environment. School Child and Youth Counsellors (SCYCs) support students, parents and school staff in coping with these challenges.

School Social Workers

School Social Workers (SSWs) may help students, families and school in relation to mental health, emotional, social and behavioural concerns.  To reach your school's Social Worker, contact the school directly.  

Resources for Parents and Students

  • PREVNet (Promoting Relationships and Eliminating Violence Network) is a national network of Canadian researchers, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and
    Governments committed to stop bullying. The site offers a wide range of resources for educators, parents and community members.
  • Reach Out Centre for Kids (ROCK)
  • Ontario Ministry of Education: Safe Schools
  • 24 hour crisis line 905-878-9785 (Toll free in Halton)
  • Kids Help phone line  1-800-668-6868
View a printable version of the Bullying Response Protocol.  ​