Revised Safety and Security Manual to Address Bullying in Schools
By: July 22, 2015 ,The Key Point:
The Facts
- The Minister explained that the guidelines were informed by the findings of a survey conducted by the Child Development Agency this year and include "no special categories."
- The Revised Safety and Security Manual stipulates that school administrators should provide guidelines for creating awareness about bullying in schools.
The Full Story
Minister of Education, Hon. Rev. Ronald Thwaites, says the Revised Safety and Security Manual 2015 for schools, will address bullying within the education sector.
Addressing the House of Representatives on July 21, the Minister explained that the guidelines were informed by the findings of a survey conducted by the Child Development Agency this year and include “no special categories.”
“The findings indicated, among other things, that 65 per cent of students reported having “ever” been bullied. So, the Ministry of Education is aware that bullying is not confined to any special group of students,” Rev. Thwaites said.
The Revised Safety and Security Manual stipulates that school administrators should provide guidelines for creating awareness about bullying in schools, as well as identify sanctions to be applied where there are breaches.
Also, all reports of bullying must be documented and data kept on same, and steps must be taken to treat with both victims and offender where a case has been reported.
Rev. Thwaites also informed that where the bullying involves matters of a criminal nature, such as extortion and any activity likely to be developed into a criminal activity, the School Resource Officer or the local Police must be notified forthwith for their attention.