The Cape Breton Post published a story of bullying on its front page today, November 18, 2022. It is a sad story. Part of the reason it is sad is that the school, Sydney Academy in this case, does not seem to have, in my opinion, a robust policy and plan to intervene when a child is being bullied.

Why do I believe this?

1. The Sydney Academy Student Handbook, which I assume is the go-to document for students seeking information, does not contain an anti-bullying policy. If you visit the Sydney Academy website, you must click on a tab titled “Guidance” and then select “Social” to find what is referred to as the “anti-bullying policy.” Surely the anti-bullying document should be prominently featured and easily located on the site.

2.The “anti-bullying” document is, at best, inadequate: The advice is geared toward parents and what they can do but almost completely leaves out the school and what it can and must do. This advice, directly quoted from the document, shows a surprising lack of urgency in dealing with bullying: “You may need to talk to adults from school or other places to better understand the problem and make a plan together if needed.”

3. In the Post article, the mother of the child being bullied is quoted as so: "I have spoken to them (Sydney Academy) about cyberbullying, and they say they can't do anything about it because it didn't happen on school property. When we were in Ontario and this happened to my older son, the school dealt with it." 

But it seems that The Bullying Policy and Legislation for Nova Scotia includes cyber bullying as an activity that schools should have a policy around: “The school principal is expected to ensure that provincial and school board policies are followed, including policies in bullying and cyberbullying.”

Here is an example of the kind of cyberbullying it is reported that Jonah Walker has endured: “One aggressor, who attends Riverview High School and is not the one involved in the fights, asked if he should get a gun and go to Walker's home to shoot him. Another chat participant, a female who is 18 and a high school graduate replied, asking where Walker lived.”

As a community, including the community that is Sydney Academy, we do not want children to be bullied. Research tells us that bullied students are more likely to experience depression, anxiety, general health issues, poor academic performance, intense feelings of sadness and more. These issues often follow these children into adulthood.

We do not want children to be bullies as research shows that they are more likely than others to, as adults, be abusive to their spouses and children, to engage in illegal activity, to abuse drugs and alcohol and more.

So, we are all helped when we speak up about bullying and help to create a context within which bullying is made unacceptable.

Many readers likely felt a sense of sadness and frustration this morning when reading about how Jonah Walker is being bullied. While Sydney Academy cannot comment on specific cases for reasons of privacy, perhaps they could share some of the tactics they use to prevent and respond to bullying with the community at large? 

For example, does Sydney Academy use any of these anti-bullying strategies that are supported by relevant research:

• Including how to identify and name bullying behavior, and its likely consequences, in the curriculum
• Establishing a system, that everyone in the school knows about, to report bullying. This system should allow for anonymity. 
• In the classroom, students can roleplay bullying and being bullied, and discuss potential solutions to the behavior. 
• Schools should have strong repercussions for bullying. 
• Counselors should meet with the families of kids who are being bullied and the kids who are bullying them, to develop understanding and a workable plan.

I hope to read or hear about Sydney Academy's anti-bullying program in the near future. To know about what Jonah Walker has been enduring, without understanding fully what is being done to help him and others, is unhealthy for the community at large. 

Jonah and Jonah's mom, may your voices be heard where they need to be heard.