Sarah Rennie – LJI reporter
The prevention of bullying and violence in New Frontiers School Board schools is among the top priorities identified by director general Mike Helm for the 2025-2026 school year.
The decision to prioritize the reduction of bullying and violence stems from a report submitted in June, by members of a task force established last year in response to mounting concerns over the increasing number of incidents within NFSB schools and centres. The document includes a series of 19 recommendations and concrete measures to reduce bullying and violence within the system.
“I was able to take some time over the summer to really read through the report, and to digest it,” said Helm, who presented the task force’s findings to the council of commissioners on August 26. “There was a tremendous amount of work done by this team in gathering all these different elements,” he added, noting the board will report on its progress regularly as administrators work to implement the recommended measures.
The task force included a cross-section of around 13 individuals including staff members, teachers, principals, special education consultants, and custodians. The committee met numerous times and held several public consultations, community nights, and town hall meetings to gather as much information as possible.
“The idea was to consult with our community to build a plan specific to New Frontiers, knowing that it is a priority for us, but also a priority for the Ministry,” said NFSB assistant director general Joyce Donohue, who led the task force. “Our summary of recommendations is over the short, medium, and long term so that it’s digestible for the board, should we have the capacity to implement all 19,” she explained. The measures span between a timeline of one to two years for easily managed cost-effective solutions, and up to four years or more for those that involve cultural shifts within the system.
Donohue acknowledged there is not anything especially new or groundbreaking included in the recommendations. “We are already doing a lot of great things. It’s a question of ensuring these are done across the board and choosing what it is that we want to continue to move forward with,” she said. For example, the first recommendation involves ensuring each school has an anonymous reporting system in place, where students can report incidences of bullying or violence without fear of retaliation.
Another short-term recommendation involves ensuring each school is implementing the protocols included in a new anti-bullying and violence template provided by the Education Ministry consistently and in the same manner.
The report also references the NFSB’s Commitment to Success Plan which sets an objective of increasing a sense of belonging among students. “Part of that is students feeling safe in their environment,” said Helm. “So, if we put these strategies in place and create a greater sense of belonging and citizenship with students, that is going to have an impact, and there will be less violence and less bullying taking place in our buildings.”