HWDSB to consider plan for bullying review panel led by 3 community members

The Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board (HWDSB) will consider a recommendation Monday that three "respected" community members lead a panel focused on bullying following the fatal stabbing of a student outside his high school.

The bullying prevention and intervention review panel would also review how the board responds to bullying and reports of violent behaviours. This follows a CBC investigation that showed inconsistencies in the way the board reported violent incidents to the Ministry of Education.

"We made some errors in our reporting," said HWDSB director of education Manny Figueiredo. "Moving forward, regardless, we need to learn from that."

Details of Figueiredo's proposal are laid out in a report he will bring before the board Monday, its first meeting since 14-year-old Devan Bracci-Selvey was stabbed to death outside Sir Winston Churchill Secondary School on Oct. 7.

"There has been a heightened concern regarding the issue of bullying across the broader community prompted by the tragic incident earlier this month," it reads.

Two brothers, an 18-year-old and 14-year-old, are charged with first-degree murder. Police allege the 14-year-old is the person who stabbed Devan.

During a phone call with CBC, Figueiredo said that even before Devan's death, the board had seen an increase in the discussion around bullying in the community.

He said he sees it as partly a community issue that will require collaboration to address.

"We've got to find a solution to work together, not point fingers," he said. "If we point fingers the end result will be our kids will pay the price."

Figueiredo's plan is to create a panel of community members with skills and knowledge in areas including equity, mental health and the way the school board works.

Panel would consider prevention and intervention

The panellists would organize sessions based around specific questions, then gather input from groups including students, parents or caregivers and community partners.

Figueiredo said he already has three community members in mind, but he's working to confirm their availability. He noted one thing that's very important to him is that they be from Hamilton.

His recommendation also states the panel would be supported by various HWDSB departments and would be able to work with independent bullying experts.

The panel will not be investigating the specifics of the fatal stabbing, said Figueiredo. That investigation, he said, will be carried out by an independent third party once the police have finished their criminal investigation.

Instead, the review panel will consider four areas — bullying prevention and intervention as well as reporting and responding to bullying.

A CBC analysis of violent incident reports found at least one-third of school boards across the province have important gaps or inconsistencies in the figures they have been submitting electronically to the ministry since 2011.

The figures submitted by the HWDSB were among the most notable inconsistencies CBC found.

The board says those issues did not "in any way impact" how the schools responded to violent incidents.

On Friday, Figueiredo acknowledged "errors occurred" with the board's reporting, but said he sees the review as a way to ensure they don't happen again.

"This will be an opportunity to have some consistency because the data is important when we're reporting around the violent incidents."

Board will pass along lessons to province

The board's review offers another opportunity, too.

Figueiredo said Education Minister Stephen Lecce reached out after Devan's death and asked the board to pass along any lessons it learns during the review.

"We have an opportunity … not just at the school board, but in Hamilton, to take a leadership role in this," said the director of education.

The proposed timeline has the panel hosting sessions from December to March and bringing a report back to the board in May.