Safe Schools

What is bullying?
The ministry has defined bullying in PPM 144 as:

Bullying is typically a form of repeated, persistent, and aggressive behaviour directed at an individual or individuals that is intended to cause (or should be known to cause) fear and distress and/or harm to another person's body, feelings, self-esteem, or reputation.

Bullying occurs in a context where there is a real or perceived power imbalance.

Bullying can take many forms. It can be:

• physical – hitting, shoving, stealing, or damaging property
• verbal – name calling, mocking, or making sexist, racist, or homophobic comments
• social – excluding others from a group or spreading gossip or rumours about them
• electronic (commonly known as cyberbullying) – spreading rumours and hurtful comments through the use of e-mail, cellphones, social media websites and text messaging