Looking for something?

Bullying Prevention and Awareness

This information explains how the Halton District School Board works to provide a positive and inclusive school environment for students to succeed.

Together We Can Stop Bullying

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 Cyberbullying?

  • 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.

Building a Positive School Climate

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

The HDSB recognizes silence sends a message that bullying is acceptable and is committed to taking immediate and proactive action to prevent and address all incidents of bullying. Bullying is behaviour that can be repeated or occur one time, carried out by an individual or group, that makes the person being bullied feel afraid or uncomfortable. 

The HDSB Bullying Response Protocol is guided by our commitment to respond to every incident, prevent and repair harm, ensure transparency in the process and consider how the individual identities and the lived experiences of students plays a role. This protocol is followed by all HDSB staff when bullying between students is observed, noticed and/or reported.

HDSB Bullying Response Protocol

Step 1: Stop and Identify
  • 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​​.​

Step 2": Explain
  • 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. ​

Step 3: Working Together for Student Well-Being
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. ​​

Step 4: Support and Follow Up
  • 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.​​

Step 5: Ensure Accountability
  • 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.  ​​

Strategies Implemented by Staff

Prevention Strategies Include:

  • explicitly teaching the five steps from the Discriminatory and Harmful Language Protocol and the HDSB Bullying Response Protocol to interrupt different forms of bullying:
    stop and identify; explain; support; report; and ensure accountability
  • including students in decision making and creating opportunities for student engagement (e.g., students on the Well-Being Team, student consultation, ongoing collaboration, etc.)
  • adults model emotional validation with students regularly and make themselves available for supportive conversations

Intervention Strategies Include:

  • coaching students how to effectively and intentionally interrupt and report bullying
  • ensuring every student can identify one caring adult in their school community
  • applying the steps from the Discriminatory and Harmful Language Protocol and the HDSB Bullying Response Protocol to interrupt different forms of bullying: stop and identify; explain; support; report; and ensure accountability

Strategies to engage students in learning about Bullying Prevention 

Prevention Strategies Include:

  • co-creating definitions of the various forms of bullying
  • identifying ways to prevent bullying in their class; in their grade; in their school
  • developing skills for healthy and respectful relationships

Intervention Strategies Include:

  • Explicitly apply the five steps from the Discriminatory and Harmful Language Protocol and the HDSB Bullying Response Protocol to interrupt different forms of bullying: stop
    and identify; explain; support; report; and ensure accountability
  • effectively interrupt and report real or perceived bullying incidents to an adult or school staff member
  • report activities motivated by bias, prejudice or hate to an adult or school staff member as indicated in the Discriminatory and Harmful Language Protocol and the Bullying
    Prevention and Intervention Protocol

Professional Learning for Staff

Prevention Strategies Include:

  • participate in professional learning to build capacity and critical consciousness when addressing bullying
  • developing the skills to intentionally interrupt racism, oppression, and discrimination
  • Implementation of identity affirming bullying prevention resources that specifically address disproportionalities and support schools in their learning and understanding of ways to engage students in increasing their cultural awareness and inclusive climates

Intervention Strategies Include:

  • responding to any student behaviour that is likely to have a negative impact on school climate or learning environments
  • following up after bullying incidents with students, parents, teachers, and other school staff as appropriate
  • participating in ongoing professional learning to build capacity and critical consciousness when addressing bullying

Monitoring Progress 

  • ongoing evidence gathered through classroom and school surveys
  • Have Your Say Survey data