Bullying
Bullying in schools is a serious concern that can lead to school violence. Whether you're the victim or a bystander, bullying should be reported immediately.
How to report bullying
If you're aware of bullying, don’t be afraid to tell someone. By speaking up, you are respecting and caring for your fellow students and taking pride and ownership of your school.
You can anonymously report bullying to teachers, principals, and police or through Calgary Crime Stoppers – a completely anonymous and effective way to report crime, or your school may have its own anonymous tip line.
If you're being bullied, contact your School Resource Officer (SRO). They will:
- Provide advice to reduce the offender’s ability to target you. Do not be drawn into online conversations in which violence and intimidation are used.
- Advise you to block or drop cyberbullies from your service and report abuse to the service provider.
- Assist in determining who is responsible for bullying and deal with them appropriately.
- They may involve you in the solution and suggest you be present in a mediation meeting with the offender or offenders. This will be your choice and will depend on your comfort level.
- In cases where threats to your safety, home, family members, or pets are concerned, your SRO may launch a criminal investigation and charges may result.
If you don't have an SRO, report bullying to a parent or your school administration.
Need help?
You are not alone. If you're being bullied, the Kids Help Phone is a free counselling resource available 24/7.
Calgary Connecteen: a confidential peer support service for youth in Calgary and area offered by the Distress Centre.
Government of Alberta: find supports, stay safe or help others who are experiencing bullying in person or online.
Bullying resources for parents
- Canadian Red Cross bullying and harassment prevention: a resource site providing educational programming and information on bullying, cyberbullying and harassment.
- PREVNet: Canada’s healthy relationships hub: preventing interpersonal violence through research and practice. This site provides resources gathered by 130 different researchers, representing 30 different academic institutions across Canada.
- Alberta Government bullying prevention resource site: dedicated to identifying, preventing and responding to bullying.
- Calgary Board of Education – bullying prevention
- Calgary Catholic School District - building communities of caring brochure
- FrancoSud – mental health belonging project: a program designed by Alberta Education and Alberta Health Services focused on mental health promotion and prevention activities.