Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to continue my questions with the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment. Last week we celebrated and gave attention to anti-bullying here and I want to continue my questions around the fact that the Minister, almost two years ago, said legislation alone was not enough to deal with bullying. He did indicate back then that the territorial Safe Schools Action Plan to address bullying and regulation policies and procedures were to be created by his department. So, I’d like to continue that line of questioning.
With schools facing budget and human resource challenges and trying to implement safe school guidelines, WSCC standards of safety and overarching government occupational health and safety expectations, can the Minister indicate how the department is helping school boards, DEAs and DECs meet all those demands? Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Dolynny. The Minister of Education, Mr. Lafferty.
Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. When it comes to the safety of our school children, that is a priority of this department, working with the DEAs and DECs. The Safe and Caring Schools Initiative, obviously supporting schools and teachers in developing tools needed to create such an environment and we do also have a working group. It deals with all the partners, the parents, the educators, administrators in our school system. Even at the DEAs and DECs and they also work very closely with all the education authorities to make sure that they’re complying with all the safety rules and regulations.
So it is a factor that’s in place and we’re fully supportive of that. Mahsi.
Parents play a key role in accountability when it comes to bullying. Can the Minister indicate how does his department ensure the accountability of parents preventing bullying in our schools? Thank you.
Mahsi. As I stated, the parents are also engaged when it comes to bullying because they need to be involved, they need to be engaged and there is a standard process that’s in play with the DECs and DEAs. Whenever there is a bullying incident that happens, we involve the parents, we involve the educators, the community members, even the community leaders to that matter.
So those are just some of the processes that we are currently following, and we provide resources to the school boards as well. Some of the resources, obviously, are Creating a safe School Environment, some of the pamphlets…(inaudible)…for online training. So, those are just some of the key aspects of how we want to deal with the bullying in our school system. Mahsi.
Bullying takes on many different forms. Can the Minister elaborate what his department has done to deal with bullying involving students with special needs and gender specific situations? Thank you.
We’ve worked with various experts throughout Canada, even internationally, working with a national expert such as Ray Hughes, very known as an expert in this field. Part of the programming that is taught in our schools is to help young people to learn and also work with others within the school system to deal with the bullying and to address issues that are also related to part of the gender issues. So, we work very closely with those experts in their fields. Mahsi.
Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. Final, short supplementary, Mr. Dolynny.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. One of the last recommendations of standing committee on bullying, back in 2013, was to have the department to immediately, and I stress the word “immediately” work on a broader anti-bullying legislation that addresses bullying in general society and cyberspace. Basically beyond the classroom.
Can the Minister give us a progress update to this committee recommendation? Thank you.
Mahsi. The new legislation has amended sections 34 and 45 of the Education Act to require educators and school administrators to strengthen policies and procedures, a law that involves bullying and safety. That’s the very reason why we’ve developed a Safe and Caring Schools Initiative and having the DEAs and DECs having their own protocols, having their own policies and regulations to deal with their discipline as well.
When it comes to bullying, it is a priority of this government and we continue to push that forward with all the education bodies across the Northwest Territories. Mahsi.
Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. Mrs. Groenewegen.
