Public elementary students report more bullying: survey

Bullying at Hamilton public schools appears to be getting worse, just as trustees push to make a positive culture and well-being top organizational priorities.

The latest annual survey on school climate shows 40.4 per cent of elementary students stated they had been bullied or harassed by other students in the 2015-16 school year — more than triple the percentage five years ago.

The results at the high school level were somewhat better, with 26 per cent of students indicating they had been bullied or harassed.

While the high school results are unchanged from the previous two surveys, those for elementary students show a steady rise since 2010, when 12 per cent reported being victims of verbal bullying.

Direct year-to-year comparisons aren’t possible, because only half of all schools fill out the provincially-mandated survey in the spring of each year. Elementary students also didn’t participate in the 2014-15 survey due to a teacher job action.

Board chair Todd White said the elementary bullying rate “is steep and quite frankly disturbing,” but difficult to judge without more information, including on results from individual schools. Trustees expect staff to create a baseline of standard questions for next year’s survey that dig deeper into the issue and allow progress to be measured in subsequent years.

“The followup question that I would want to know is: ‘Did you report this incident of bullying, or incidences, and did you feel a caring adult addressed your concern?’ Without understanding if students feel their concerns are addressed, then I’m not really sure what we’ve measured year-to-year,” he said.

White admits it’s difficult to assess how the board is faring in other areas of the survey, because questions aren’t consistent.

The 2014-15 high school survey gave students five choices on the statement: “There is an adult in my school who really cares about me” — always, often, sometimes, rarely and never. Twenty-eight per cent of students responded always, with 27 per cent indicating often, 24 per cent sometimes, 10 per cent rarely and 11 per cent never.

But last year’s survey offered only three choices on the same question: often, sometimes and never.

Among high school respondents, 42 per cent indicated often, 40 per cent sometimes, 18 per cent never. At the elementary level, it was 54, 33 and 13 per cent, respectively.

White said trustees are clear the board needs to move beyond data collection to measurable actions; and they expect next year’s report will reflect that direction.