Issue link: https://publications.tfs.ca/i/1484703
34 Parents' Handbook 2022– 2023 BULLYING PREVENTION AND INTERVENTION 1. Objective TFS is committed to providing a healthy school environment that is nurturing, caring and respectful of everyone. TFS expects that students will demonstrate a high degree of personal and social responsibility in their actions and behaviours. Bullying and hazing are not acceptable and will not be tolerated at the school. This Policy applies to all members of the school community, including students, staff, coaches, and anyone who performs duties, either on a paid or volunteer basis, or on a full-time or part- time basis for the school. This Policy must be read in conjunction with all other applicable school policies and procedures, including the Code of Conduct and Progressive Discipline Policy. 2. Definitions Bullying can happen in many different ways. A person who bullies harms someone else repeatedly and unfairly and has some advantage over the person who is being bullied. For example, the person who bullies may be older, bigger, smarter, or stronger. Sometimes a group of children or youth will bully another person. Hazing is a type of bullying that involves humiliating and sometimes dangerous initiation rituals. Hazing is most often done by a group as a rite of admission into a group, club, or team; however, it can also be done by individuals. Hazing can be extreme, but it can also be more subtle. All kinds of hazing are unacceptable at the school. In the Education Act, bullying means aggressive and typically repeated behaviour by a student where, (a) the behaviour is intended by the pupil to have the effect of, or the pupil ought to know that the behaviour would be likely to have the effect of, (i) causing harm, fear or distress to another individual, including physical, psychological, social or academic harm, harm to the individual's reputation or harm to the individual's property, or (ii) creating a negative environment at the school for another individual; and, (b) the behaviour occurs in a context where there is a real or perceived power imbalance between the pupil and the individual based on factors such as size, strength, age, intelligence, peer group power, economic status, social status, religion, ethnic origin, sexual orientation, family circumstances, gender, gender identity, gender expression, race, disability or the receipt of special education. This behaviour includes the use of any physical, verbal, electronic, written or other means to conduct bullying. Cyberbullying: Means bullying by electronic means, including, (a) creating a web page or a blog in which the creator assumes the identity of another person; (b) impersonating another person as the author of content or messages posted on the internet; and, (c) communicating material electronically to more than one individual or posting material on a website that may be accessed by one or more individuals. As examples, and without limiting the generality of the above definitions, bullying and hazing can involve any of the following forms: Physical bullying: - when someone hits, shoves, kicks, spits at, or beats up on others;