Bullying isn’t something that is new in schools.
It has gone on for years and has gotten worse in recently because of social media and cyberbullying.
According to the Canadian Red Cross, over half of bullied children do not report being bullied to a teacher and since 2002, fighting behaviour has increased. As many as 18 per cent of boys and eight per cent of girls report having been in four or more fights in the past year.
Tucker Gregson graduated from high school last year, and was bullied in elementary school and believes that bullying is at its worst then.
“Elementary school, between the grades of three and five… children very young are more mature, then they hit this plummet of maturity when they hit their teenage years,” said Gregson.
Gregson says the only thing that helped him was “growing a backbone” since bullying never stops.
Gregson also says that bullying is something that likely won’t stop in schools.
Canadian Red Cross also says that around 71 per cent of teachers say they usually intervene when bullying happens, but only 25 per cent of students say that teachers actually try to put a stop to it.
Canadian teachers have also ranked cyberbullying as their issue of highest concern out of all of the options, 89 per cent said bullying and violence are serious problems in public schools.
These bullying acts just contribute to violence in schools, whether it be random or targeted attacks.
Earlier this month, a 13-year-old girl was stabbed to death in an Abbotsford, British Columbia, at Abbotsford Senior Secondary school as part of a random attack.
Violence is something that is only increasing in schools.
Most schools have a preparedness plan for when there is a violent attack, such as an armed and dangerous person.
This usually consists of a lockdown mode, where students stay huddled in their classrooms near a wall where you can’t see them easily from a window.
The doors are also locked to prevent intruders from entering the classrooms.
Lockdowns usually come into effect when there is someone armed with a gun or larger weapon that is easily spotted and make an attempt to enter the premises.
It usually takes a larger event, such as the Columbine massacre, or the Sandy Hook Elementary shooting for more safety precautions to be taken in schools.
If there were to be such an event here at Lethbridge College, the college’s website serves as the primary hub for information relating to emergencies and unexpected events.
If the event were to occur, a red banner would span across the top of the website, which would direct users to current information regarding the emergency. Plus there is an announcement that carries across the entire campus.
There is a nine-minute active shooting scenario on the colleges website, where you can learn more about what do you if there were an active shooter on campus.
This is just what’s in place in case there is a shooter on campus, so students know what to do.
There currently aren’t any rules or regulations that will completely stop or prevent bullying or violence in schools, but there are some guidelines that could make slow it down, such as ensuring that matters are dealt with in a consistent, so everyone knows what is expected of him or her.
Having these clear policies shows everyone that schools are acting in a safe manner.
