It's Pink Shirt Day, and Education Minister Stephen Lecce has announced the launch of an online survey to hear from students, parents and guardians and school staff about their experiences with bullying in Ontario schools.
According to the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, 21 per cent of Ontario students in Grades 7-12 have reported being bullied at school.
This new survey seeks to gain a better understanding of the issue, ideas on how to better prevent and report bullying and new ways to make schools safer, according to a news release.
"Bullying is far too common in our playgrounds, schools, and communities across Ontario," said Lecce.
"In order to prevent bullying in our schools, we need to be aware of what's happening at the classroom level," said MPP Christina Mitas. "The online survey will help us better understand the ways in which bullying manifests in classroom settings. This will assist us in framing the problem and designing more effective programs - ones that will keep our children safe."
It's the latest in a long string of anti-bullying efforts.
See: Province to fight bullying in schools
And: Near North School Board looks for Bullying feedback
And: Wonder what that pink school bus was doing yesterday?
Students, parents and guardians and school staff are encouraged to participate in the survey.
The closing date: March 31.
Take the survey here.
The government has updated the Health and Physical Education curriculum for Grades 1 to 8 to now include mandatory learning about online safety in all grades, including learning about cyberbullying, cybersecurity and privacy.
