Students

How can students influence their peers positively and respond to hurtful behaviours and bullying?

Students play a crucial role in creating a safe and supportive school environment by:

• Understanding how seemingly harmless actions can unintentionally hurt others, students become more mindful of the impact of their words and actions;
• Leading and engaging their peers in their school/cohort/class/CCA to promote a culture of respect and kindness, interact using positive language and behaviours towards one another, and show care and concern for one another; and
• Standing up against hurtful behaviours and bullying, both online and offline, and report incidents when they occur.

How can students respond when an incident occurs?

When an incident occurs, students can:

• Stay calm and say “Stop it!”. Openly and respectfully disagree with hurtful words or behaviour.
• Walk away quickly from harm or danger. Go to a place with other people so you are not alone.
• Seek help from a parent, teacher or trusted adult immediately.

Students can use S.A.F.E. to respond.

For incidents that are cyber-related, students can also use S.A.F.E. to respond to them.

What are the responsibilities of bystanders?

When students witness bullying incidents, they can actively stand against hurtful behaviours and bullying, both online and offline, by reaching out to support those affected, speaking up, and reporting incidents to teachers, School Leaders, parents or any trusted adults.

Those who record and share incidents inappropriately, with intent to embarrass or hurt to others, may face disciplinary action. While intentions may be well-meaning, videos may capture only fragments of complex situations and can cause lasting harm on victims when they go viral.