School board officials in Windsor-Essex, along with Windsor police, received a lesson on how to handle bullying from the licensing body for Ontario teachers.
The Ontario College of Teachers is traveling across province to talk to educators and police offering advice on how to respond to bullying.
College Deputy Registrar Joe Jamieson says it is crucial that students know the issue is being taken seriously.
It is estimated at least 58% of students are victims of bullying while 78% of students have witnessed bullying, but fewer than half of those have intervened.
Jamieson says the earlier it is detected, the better the outcomes.
"The research that we have undertaken makes it clear that if there is intervention within the first 10 seconds of bullying that its ability to carry on drops dramatically," he says.
Wes Vickers (left), councillor with the Ontario College of teachers and College Deputy Registrar (right) Joe Jamieson. November 1, 2017 (Photo by AM800's Teresinha Medeiros)
According to Jamieson, in today's day and age, bullying doesn't stop in schools because of cyber bullying.
"The entire landscape has changed," says Jamieson. "There is no relief from it, it is 24/7, 365 — it is anonymous and it can go and live on in perpetuity."
He says the key message from the panel discussion Wednesday morning is that students need to know that teachers take this seriously.
"We as persons who are in positions of trust and authority need to step up to the plate and understand it, detect it, intervene and follow up."
Jamieson says there also needs to be a message to students that if they are victims of bullying, they need to speak to an adult about it. He says there should be no feelings of shame or helplessness if a student is bullied.