ONTARIO, Canada — In a report released by the Office of the Auditor General of Ontario on Dec. 6, education ministry officials say they cannot determine whether or not the $50 million designated to combat bullying has helped curb the problem.
The report found that in the first year of the program, much of the funding designated for suspended or expelled student programs was not spent; in the second year, school boards had yet to create restrictions on the how to money could be spent. Suspensions dropped from 7 to 4.5 percent, but a survey from the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) showed that 7 percent of students had been threatened with a weapon while only 1 percent of their attackers faced suspension, the Toronto Sun reports.
School administrators claim that students often fail to report such attacks. However, Corina Morrison, founder of the London Anti-Bullying Coalition, told the news source that until students know their grievances are going to be taken seriously, they will not come forward.
