History

In June 2010, the Director of Education for the Thames Valley District School Board Bill Tucker launched the Director’s Community Task Force on Anti-Bullying to gather new ideas to combat bullying behavior in our community. Fifteen agencies throughout Thames Valley including police and justice, Children’s Aid Societies, health professionals, the media, parent groups and anti-bullying coalitions spent a year sharing and learning from each other. It was agreed the problem of bullying in our schools is a societal problem and the entire community needs work together to end bullying behaviour.

In November 2010, forums were held in London, St. Thomas and Woodstock where members of the community came together to discuss this important issue. Citizens in all communities said the same thing… community groups need to work together to address the issue of bullying.

The Task Force’s Report to the Community, released on June 28, 2011, highlights how each organization will address the issue of bullying in the future. A number of groups have taken the opportunity to refine what they are already doing, while others have used the report as a springboard for new initiatives within their organizations and with other community partners.

The Director’s Community Task Force on Anti-Bullying has set a new standard for community discussion on this important issue and has been recognized by the Ministry of Education as a unique and creative approach to the school board’s effort to work with the community to eliminate bullying behaviour everywhere.