BY KEITH LACEY
The timing, apparently, couldn?t be better. For the second time in two weeks, Greater Sudbury Police were called to an area high school Wednesday to investigate an assault.
Police have responded to two such assaults in recent days, one at St. Charles College and the other at Lively District High School.
Charges have been laid or are pending in the cases as the investigations continue.
The Greater Sudbury Police Service, with the full co-operation of all four Sudbury and area school boards, is about to launch a bullying mediation program.
It?s only coincidence considering the two recent incidents, since planning has been going on for months.
According to Sgt. Wayne Foster, the short-term goal is to formulate a model to try and reduce all forms of bullying at Sudbury and area schools.
?We?re taking a proactive approach to a very serious issue,? said Foster, who is in charge of the Crime Prevention Unit.
Starting Monday (Jan. 26), 12 officers who have received special training will help launch the bullying mediation program with all four school boards.
The officers chosen also just enjoy working with kids.
They will make presentations on the subject to staff and students, something made possible by a recent government grant, so there is no impact on
police resources.
Both the victim and person accused of bullying must agree to meet and discuss the problem to try and find a resolution that will satisfy everyone,
said Foster.
?At the end of the day what we want is for the bullying behaviour to stop and for us not to have to lay criminal charges if at all possible,? he said.
?Communication is the key and the officers involved know how to talk to young people, get them to open up...and try and reach a resolution everyone can live with.?
Bob Deeth is a vice-principal at Lasalle Secondary School and a founding member of the two-year old Greater Sudbury Anti-Bullying Coalition.
He?s excited about the new initiative.
?The kids involved will have to agree to sit down with the assigned officer and discuss the conflict,? he said. ?Once they do, the idea or goal is restorative justice where the victim can speak about the problem and the bully is made to realize his or her actions are not acceptable and won?t be tolerated.
?It?s hoped the students will realize they don?t have to love each other, but they can co-exist in the same school and leave each other alone.?
School boards, teachers and police have only realized the need to address bullying in recent years, though it has been commonplace for decades.
Because issues of acceptance and popularity are so important among this age group, bullying can involve much more than physical intimidation or violence, said Deeth.
?Most think of bullying as physical threats or actions...but things like spreading rumours and false information leads to social, emotional and psychological bullying,? he said. ?These can be equally painful for a student.?
The program will address all forms of bullying, Foster said.
Foster personally wants the CPU to let more officers work with kids in programs like this.
He wants students at the 100 or so schools in town to have direct access with officers trained in bullying mediation.
?Once we get the bugs ironed out, it would certainly be a big part of these officers? jobs to go to their schools and work with the students...and it would take a great deal of pressure off other front-line officers,? he said.
Before the start of the next school year, the police service will review what worked and what didn?t work.
The program will be expanded at the start of the new school year.
The long-term goal includes the implementation of a ?bullying hotline.?
It could get officers responding to a bullying incident much quicker, Foster said.
The long-term plan also includes having officers deal directly with students on other youth issues, including drug and alcohol abuse and teen pregnancy.
Officers will instil life skills such as communication and anger management, which will help the kids in their adult lives.
?These are skills that will benefit these students for the rest of their lives,? he said. ?That?s why the officers involved are so anxious to become involved in this program.?
For more information, contact Foster or police service community relations officer Denise Fraser at 675-9171.
