A committee of the Hastings Prince Edward District School Board spent a great deal of time discussing bullying earlier this week
On Monday, the Governance and Policy Committee discussed a Trustee Rachel Prinzen motion over whether to establish a brand-new, standalone anti-bullying policy.
Prinzen called for a public review to draft dedicated rules, arguing that good governance demands explicit oversight.
Trustee Ernie Parsons strongly backed the effort, warning that bullying remains a widespread, daily reality for kids in local classrooms.
They insisted the board has a fundamental duty to use every tool available to keep students safe.
Board leadership pushed back on the necessity of adding another formal policy document.
CEO Katherine MacIver noted that extensive administrative procedures, student codes of conduct, and existing equity frameworks already satisfy ministry standards.
Other trustees raised concerns that creating a fresh policy might simply duplicate staff paperwork without offering practical solutions to modern issues like cyberbullying.
Rather than taking an immediate vote, the committee discussed referring the motion back to board staff for further evaluation.
Administrators will now review existing frameworks to determine if any true governance gaps actually exist.
