Clear out the bullies

November 16, 2005

Clear out the bullies
By CHRISTINA BLIZZARD

How ironic that, at the beginning of a week set aside to fight bullying, a horrific story emerges of a young teen who has allegedly been brutalized at her school for as long as 18 months before she finally told a teacher who called in police.

And much as we may all be shocked by such allegations, anyone who has a child in an inner city Toronto school knows that there is an undercurrent of violence in many of them that needs to be addressed. Forget all those namby-pamby, anti-bullying programs. What these thugs need isn't a group hug and a round of Kumbaya. Many schools need a full-time cop.

Frankly, I'm getting just a bit tired of the politically correct wall you run into any time you dare suggest we get tough on the hoodlums who terrorize our schools.

First, there was the Safe Schools Act brought in by the previous Tory government. That is now under review. Why? Because some parents complained it was "racist," in that it disproportionately targeted black youths. Another criticism is that it arbitrarily expelled youngsters and left them on the streets with no place to go. The first point is a pretty sweeping condemnation of teachers and school principals, since they are the ones enforcing the law. I don't think for a moment teachers are, as a profession, racist. And there are programs for expelled students to go to. If they are full, then the government needs to get more up and running.

The allegations in this case make it crystal clear: Victims need protection -- not the bullies. You need to get the perpetrators of violence out of the schools. It may be a hard lesson. But here's a handy guide to avoid expulsion: Behave yourself. Don't threaten other students. Don't fight. Keep your fists to yourself. Don't use abusive or profane language. Don't assault your teachers or other students. Don't bring guns or knives to school. While we're at it, parents might try to enforce these rules, instead of excusing their little darlings. Apparently, they're not, "bad," they're just "misunderstood." Or so they'd have you believe. Well, follow my rules and I guarantee you won't be expelled.

At the other end of the scale, on Monday two teacher unions held one of the more self-serving news conferences I have attended recently. The Ontario English Catholic Teachers' Association (OECTA) and Ontario Secondary School Teachers' Federation (OSSTF) hauled out a study showing an estimated 30% of teachers have been bullied by parents or guardians, 24% of teachers have been bullied by school administrators and 15% of teachers have been bullied by other colleagues. The unions want legislation to outlaw psychological bullying in the workplace.

Well, here's an idea. When a group of adult employees who belong to some of the strongest unions in the province can't handle a few nasty words from a co-worker or a parent, then it isn't a new law you need. It's a spine.

Don't get me wrong. I have nothing but sympathy for the average teacher. In some schools in this city, they have to deal with weapons and violence on a daily basis.

But this week, the biggest news story was about awful allegations of a child who has been terrorized in a school for a year and a half. Yet the biggest concern these union bosses have is psychological abuse? Give me a break.

Kids learn from example. One of the unions, OECTA, was involved in an incident almost three years ago when then-Tory Education Minister Elizabeth Witmer had water poured over her by union members at a convention.

Okay, the union apologized. The College of Teachers resolved it through a "dispute resolution," process rather than through a disciplinary hearing. But when teachers set that kind of example, how do you expect to control schools?

Meanwhile, the real victims are the kids who daren't go to school because they fear violence. Every child has the right to an education in peace and security. We've already lost control of our streets to a violent element. Let's not let our schools go the same way. We need cops in them -- now.