WHAT THE SCHOOL BOARD SAYS
The following is the full statement provided by the Ottawa Carleton District School Board about the Winston Karam bullying case:
Bullying is never acceptable. Every school in the OCDSB is committed to building a positive school culture. This is a key strategy in our antibullying program and in our effort to ensure a safe and caring learning environment for students and staff. This particular case is a reminder that our work in this area is ongoing.
This particular issue took place five years ago. Many changes to practice have been put in place since then. This includes professional development for staff, learning opportunities for students and the introduction of anti-bullying programs. Two main programs supported by the district are the Fourth R (an overall harm reduction program used at grades 7, 8 and primarily 9) and Roots of Empathy. Both are evidenced based and backed by PREVNet and CAMH.
In addition to putting in preventative strategies, the district is also committed to measuring progress. One way this is done is through a school climate survey of all students in grades 4 through 12. These surveys allow students to express concerns about bullying and their feelings of safety at school in a way that allows schools to develop strategies to address issues specific to that school. The survey data also allows us to track trends over time and make comparisons to the national average so that we can be better informed about our progress. Although required every other year, the OCDSB implemented the survey for three consecutive years, beginning in 2012-2013. The survey will be conducted again this spring. You can read the survey data and learn more about our work in anti-bullying on our website. As you can see from the district wide data, in 2015 students in grades 7-12 at OCDSB schools reported as follows:
87% of students felt safe attending the district; the Canada norm for these grades is 85%;
88% of the girls and 87% of the boys felt safe attending the district. The Canada norm for girls is 87% and for boys is 84%.
At every level of our organization, our staff is committed to creating safe and caring learning environments, and to working with parents and families to address individual issues when they arise. We believe that working together with families and community partners, creates a community of positive role models for our youth.