Bullying Prevention and Intervention Plan

Promote community building and healthy peer-to-peer relationships as a preventive approach to bullying behaviour.

Intentionally create a sense of belonging through community building and healthy relationships by:

• Building and maintaining positive relationships with students and families;
• Providing students with multiple opportunities to collaborate, build relationships, and learn together;
• Supporting the development of self-regulation and social-emotional learning skills alongside students; and
• Using community-building strategies to develop a strong sense of belonging, healthy relationships, and community among students and staff. 

Engage students in learning about positive behaviours by:

• Providing a variety of evidence-based programs that help students learn appropriate behaviours and inclusive language;
• Co-creating and reviewing classroom agreements regularly with students to support belonging and positive behaviour; and
• Explicitly teaching strategies for effective and constructive conflict management (e.g., sharing perspectives, communicating boundaries respectfully, unpacking relevant scenarios with students to practice conflict resolution skills).

Develop an understanding of how to use Ministry and YRDSB resources across various curricular areas to affirm students’ social identities, helping students to deepen understanding and empathy of various intersecting social identities.

Create inclusive and affirming learning environments by:

• Using knowledge of students’ social identities and lived experiences to create inclusive and identity-affirming classrooms;
• Designing culturally relevant and responsive teaching and learning that integrates students’ social identities and experiences across subject areas and grades;
• Embedding lessons across the curriculum that allow students to learn and practice empathy, acceptance, and inclusion;
• Using culturally relevant and responsive strategies to teach the impact of discriminatory language in alignment with the Ontario Human Rights Code; and
• Provide students with learning opportunities to name and notice when discrimination and a bullying remark is made (i.e. practice how to interrupt, how to be an ally).

Support students in recognizing and responding to bullying by:

• Providing learning opportunities to help students recognize various forms of bullying, including bullying based on social identities (e.g., race, gender expression, sexual orientation, religion);
• Teaching safe and effective intervention strategies for bystanders; 
• Offering regular check-ins and supports for students at risk of engaging in bullying and those who have witnessed or been affected by bullying;
• Responding promptly to reported incidents, communicating with families as appropriate, and implementing strategies to mitigate bullying and incidents of hate and discrimination; and
• Encouraging reporting by students and families and ensuring students understand reporting processes (e.g., the Report It tool and informing school staff).

Responding to behaviour that impacts school climate by: 

• Responding to and disrupting behaviour that negatively impacts school climate, including inappropriate or disrespectful behaviour at school or school-related events; incidents of bullying; racist, sexual, sexist, transphobic or homophobic comments, slurs, jokes, or graffiti; and behaviours that may lead to suspension or expulsion under Caring and Safe Schools policies;
• Using respectful and effective classroom management strategies grounded in progressive discipline and bias-aware, trauma-informed practices:
  • schools will use teachable moments within a bias-aware and trauma-informed progressive discipline approach, considering the student’s age, the circumstances of the behaviour, and the student’s history
  • students will be provided opportunities to learn from mistakes through curriculum supports, including restorative practices, such as restorative conversations or restorative circles
• Following up with students, parents/caregivers, educators, and staff as appropriate.

Actions will be informed by YRDSB’s Protocol for Addressing Incidents of Hate and/or Discrimination, with an emphasis on preventing, stopping, addressing, reporting, restoring, and educating.