OSSTF/FEESO Continues its Support of the Awareness and Prevention of Bullying

TORONTO, ONTARIO--(Marketwired - Nov. 20, 2013) - November 18-22, 2013 marks Bullying Awareness and Prevention Week. During this week, activities in schools across the province will heighten awareness of what constitutes bullying and the impact it can have on the overall school climate.

"The Ontario Secondary School Teachers' Federation (OSSTF/FEESO) supports this initiative. A safe learning environment is extremely important to every student, parent and educational worker in our publicly funded school system," stated Paul Elliott, President of OSSTF/FEESO.

"We support the continued enhancement of training and programs to prevent and better respond to incidents of bullying and harassment in any form in our schools and workplaces," continued Elliott.

In 2005, in conjunction with its provincial affiliates, OSSTF/FEESO released the results of its survey on bullying in the educational workplace. At the time, the report was the first of its kind in North America and revealed the broad impact that bullying had on students and education workers.

Elliott explained, "In response to this survey, OSSTF/FEESO launched a series of workshops to train and support our education workers on a variety of topics related to bullying, including From PAIN to PRIDE, which addresses the issue of gender-based violence and homophobia, and EQUIP, which is aimed at helping participants to understand inclusive practices in an educational setting."

It is OSSTF/FEESO's policy that every District School Board or employer should develop and implement school-wide anti-violence programs which include harassment and bullying issues for all students, staff and parents.

OSSTF/FEESO remains committed to promoting a greater understanding and knowledge of these issues in Ontario schools. "There is still much work to be done to eliminate discrimination, bullying and harassment from our schools and workplaces," concluded Elliott.

OSSTF/FEESO, founded in 1919, has 60,000 members across Ontario. They include public high school teachers, occasional teachers, educational assistants, continuing education teachers and instructors, early childhood educators, psychologists, secretaries, speech-language pathologists, social workers, plant support personnel, university support staff, and many others in education.