Long-awaited interim report on bullying released

Following last October’s stabbing death of Devan Selvey at Sir Winston Churchill Secondary School, the public school board struck a panel to examine the issue of bullying in schools

An independent review panel, struck in the wake of Grade 9 student Devan Selvey’s fatal stabbing, has released a longawaited interim report on bullying in the Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board.

The 25-page report, released Monday, shares the interim findings of a threeperson independent panel tasked by the school board in the fall to explore issues of bullying prevention, intervention, reporting and response in Hamilton public schools and the community at-large.

At least 900 community members attended 15 meetings hosted by the “Safe

Schools: Bullying Prevention and Intervention Review Panel” in February and March.

A summary of 25 “themes,” or issues raised at meetings, is outline in the report.

Among the themes are calls to engage students in problem-solving and peer support, to provide staff with bullying prevention training, to train staff and students in intervention techniques, to ensure students aren’t punished when they stand up to bullies and to offer mental health supports to victims.

Emotions ran high at a number of the winter consultations sessions, as parents and students shared heartbreaking stories of bullying.

The report notes that the panel’s work is ongoing and some sessions were cancelled due to COVID-19.

The panel hopes to hold more consultation sessions and also offer online surveys on bullying to students and staff in the fall.

The committee was formed in the wake of the Oct. 7, 2019, stabbing of Devan Selvey, a 14-year-old Sir Winston Churchill Secondary School student. His mother, Shari-Ann Selvey, has said her son was subjected to bullying in the months leading up to his death.

She criticized the school and school board for not doing enough to help her son.

A 14-year-old boy, who can’t be named due to the Youth Criminal Justice Act, faces a first-degree murder charge in relation to Selvey’s death. A first-degree murder charge against his 18-year-old brother, who The Spectator is not naming because identifying him could identify the younger boy, was withdrawn in December. The older brother still faces charges related to the stabbing, including a weapons charge.

The three-person panel, which includes experts in child psychiatry, health and human rights, will make recommendations in a final report.

The interim report is being presented at a board meeting Monday evening.

At the meeting, trustees will vote on a final report completion date, with the goal date being Dec. 16, 2020.