A Whole-School Approach to Safety and Belonging Preventing Violence and Bullying

Contents Preamble Introduction Inclusive Planning for Safety and Belonging Whole-School Planning for Safety and Belonging Resources References

Guiding Principles Team planning Follow-up planning Safe Schools Charter – Codes of Conduct – Emergency response plans

Purpose To promote a positive approach to safety and belonging that aligns with school planning systems already in use in Manitoba schools To provide a simple, step-by-step approach to building collaborative safety plans To offer materials and resources that are easily adapted to unique needs of each school

Factors Contributing to a Positive School Climate Continuous growth Respect Trust High morale Cohesiveness Opportunities for input Renewal Caring

Foundations of Whole School Planning for Safety and Belonging Collaborative Creates shared understanding of violence, bullying and effects on students, schools, families, and communities Assists school community in acquiring specific knowledge, skills, and language to respond to violent and bullying situations Is proactive, not punitive Provides a framework for bringing the plan to life Directs the development of prevention and intervention strategies

Three-tiered model of school discipline and violence prevention TOTAL POPULATION AT-RISK STUDENTS: EARLY IDENTIFICATION & INTERVENTION DISRUPTIVE STUDENTS: EFFECTIVE RESPONSES TO DISRUPTION Skiba, Rausch & Ritter(2004)

Seven Simple Steps to Safety and Belonging 1. Establish a planning team 2. Involve parents 3. Involve students 4. Create a school pledge 5. Build a supervision plan 6. Develop a response plan 7. Implement and monitor the school plan

Step 1: Establish a Planning Team Staff meeting item – determine commitment level to safety and belonging plan Confirm membership on planning team Establish timelines Begin planning

Step 2: Involve Parents Make use of parent advisory council- or related meetings and opportunities that are familiar to the community Introduce concept and commitment levels Ask for ideas on effective communication strategies and preferred degree of involvement with parents and community Distribute helpful tips on supporting children

Step 3: Involve Students Suggestions: Include students on planning team as much as possible (directly/indirectly depending on age/stage) Develop a student safety and belonging committee (to provide input, feedback and communication strategy) Students plan school assembly to launch school plan Students contribute to pledge, to school-wide, classroom, and community activities

Step 3: Involve Students cont’d Suggestions: Conduct a school-wide positive behaviour campaign Encourage and support students to speak at parent meetings Encourage and support students to speak to other students in other grades or schools Link safety and belonging to associated learning outcomes

Step 4: Create a School Pledge Determine the form the pledge will take Invite staff, student, and parent input Incorporate contributions into final school pledge Align pledge with mission, code of conduct, charter, slogan, motto… Live the pledge

Step 5: Build a Supervision Plan Address violent and bullying behaviour When self-monitoring is absent in children, “the single most effective deterrent to violence and bullying is adult authority and visibility”

Step 5: Supervision issues – The safety of all students and staff – Each student’s ability to learn to behave in another way – The opportunity for students to practise and integrate more positive behaviour – The continuum of misbehaviour, from subtle, covert bullying to physical aggression – Adult recognition that students cannot always solve all their own problems – Adult feelings of intimidation, isolation, or lack of support when intervening in violent or bullying incidents

Step 5: Supervision - roles Build a supervision plan that clearly articulates roles of: – Administrators – Teachers – Educational assistants – Support staff Identify high-risk areas Acknowledge and reinforce pro-social behaviour Initiate programs to reduce opportunities for violence and bullying

Step 6: Develop a School-wide Response Plan Detail guidelines and procedures for responding to and tracking incidents of violent and bullying behaviours Identify strategies to – Support students who are bullied – Respond to students who are aggressive or who bully – Respond to students who witness violence or bullying Plan restorative interventions to bring together all parties to repair relationships that have been damaged

Step 6: Goals of a School-wide Response Plan Encourage communication Develop empathy Promote accountability Enhance pro-social behaviour

Step 6: What does a School-wide Response Plan look like? Unique to each school Typical elements: – All students, staff and parents are informed of the plan – Safety audit conducted regularly to determine “hot spots” – Guaranteed response to halt violence and bullying when it is witnessed Use of incident reports; collection of data to inform plan Use of first/second responders to intervene quickly Code of conduct that takes into consideration the context and student-specific needs that may have contributed to the incident

Step 6: What does a School-wide Response Plan look like? – Guaranteed check on perpetrator, victim, and any affected witnesses – Restitution-based interventions/counselling/ opportunities for learning and practising new behaviours – Focus on pro-social behaviours

Step 7: Implement and Monitor the School Plan Promote the school plan Build and maintain commitment to the school plan: – Keep staff, students, and parents informed – Determine the format and activities for a school assembly – Determine strategies for keeping the plan alive – Determine strategies for monitoring the effectiveness of the plan

Begin with your Strengths Align safety and belonging plans with strategies and systems that are already working well Check for alignment to codes of conduct, threat assessment protocols, learning outcomes Use familiar communication strategies: newsletters, ACSLs, student councils, assemblies, community networks…

Keep it Manageable A whole school approach only works when the whole school can commit to the plan: select what is manageable as a starting point. Develop additional components of the plan as students, staff and community become comfortable during the monitoring process

The Learning Curve Keep in mind that any new initiative takes time and energy Progress can be wobbly at first as everyone gets used to new concepts and new behaviours are learned Support others Monitor progress regularly Celebrate successes

The Last Word At first, reports of bullying will increase when you start talking about violence and bullying. This does not mean there is more bullying. You are modelling that it is okay to talk about things that are usually hidden. It means students are open to discussing issues and trust that you will help. You can’t do this alone. It takes a community. You have a strong community.

For further information Lorna Martin Manitoba Education, Citizenship and Youth Phone: Fax: