Take bullying by the horns

No mother should ever have to hear their child say that bullying at school makes them want to die.

Too many times, sadly, we’ve seen bullied teens take their own lives.

So, we laud Yvonne MacKenzie’s decision to speak out publicly last week about the sickening ordeal her 15-year-old autistic son, Dawson, has suffered through for two years at Cape Breton’s Glace Bay High School.

Dawson has been struck, slapped, kicked and pushed into puddles. He’s been called a “stupid autistic retard.” His laptop has been destroyed. Then, earlier this month, another student threatened him with a knife.

After that, Yvonne understandably pulled Dawson out of school, saying it was not a safe environment for her son.

Police are investigating the knife incident. According to Yvonne, education officials have mostly downplayed her concerns.

If accurate, that’s unacceptable. No school or education official should ever underestimate the impact such harassment can have on any student’s mental health.

Nova Scotia Education Minister Derek Mombourquette called the case “very upsetting” and said he’s instructed his deputy to contact Cape BretonVictoria Regional Centre for Education officials for more information.

We hope the minister’s representative also plans to talk to Yvonne and Dawson MacKenzie, to learn firsthand what they’ve gone through.

Bullying is a long-time, worldwide scourge that schools confront around the globe.

Despite the much-publicized teen suicides, the pink shirt anti-bullying campaigns, the posters and various other efforts to combat bullying among youth in schools, it’s heartbreaking that students like Dawson could still be tormented to the point of harbouring suicidal thoughts.

Amid this depressing news is one shining act of empathy and kindness by a fellow student.

When Grade 10 student Cody Boutilier saw another student threaten Dawson with a knife, he bravely intervened and subdued the bully so the younger boy could escape.

Boutilier took the bully’s weapon from him. As Finnish-developed KiVa — perhaps the world’s most successful anti-bullying school program — teaches, bullying is a group phenomenon and so collective responsibility plays a key role in preventing and addressing that behaviour.

Though the Public Health Agency of Canada lists KiVa as a best practice, it does not appear to have been formally adopted anywhere in this country. KiVa programs are in use in Europe, South America and New Zealand.

The program seeks to increase the empathy of bystanders to understand what those being bullied are going through, so that they act to protect the vulnerable.

Studies have found KiVa increases the percentage of students not bullied at school or online while decreasing the percentage of students doing the bullying.

It’s not a cure, but it’s been shown to help. Boutilier provides an example of what empathy and kindness can achieve.

Bullied himself when he was younger, he said he “saw that Dawson looked nervous, so I just wanted to take a stand for him."

All schools could use more Cody Boutiliers.