Minister of Education Adriana LaGrange (left) and Respect Group Inc. Co-Founder Sheldon Kennedy (right) speak with students at Eastview Middle School in Red Deer on Monday.

By Sheldon Spackman

helping protect our children

Provincial grant funding to support safe and respectful learning in Alberta schools

Dec 9, 2019 | 5:11 PM

The provincial government is taking steps to educate school employees across Alberta on their responsibilities to ensure students are safe from abusive situations.

Education Minister Adriana LaGrange was at Eastview Middle School in Red Deer Monday morning where she announced a grant of $300,000 per year over four years to support the Respect in School program.

The Respect in School online training, offered in English and French, will educate teachers and other school staff, bus drivers, parent volunteers and student leaders about how they can prevent bullying, harassment and discrimination in their schools.

Through its online training programs, Respect Group Inc. has certified more than 1.2 million people across Canada to recognize and prevent bullying, harassment and discrimination.

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“All students deserve a positive and caring learning environment. With this grant, we are following through on our commitment to support safe schools that protect students against discrimination and bullying,” said LaGrange. “I encourage all school leaders and staff to complete the Respect in School training for the benefit of our children.”

Respect Group Inc. was co-founded by former NHL player Sheldon, who was also on hand for Monday morning’s announcement.

“Respect in School will give school leaders the confidence to step up and step in when situations arise and help create safe and respectful learning environments for all students,” he said.

Red Deer Public Schools has implemented the Respect in School program as part of its locally-developed Valuing Mental Health initiative.

“Each of our staff members goes through the training to recognize and prevent bullying, abuse, harassment and discrimination,” explained Board Chair Nicole Buchanan. “By educating our school staff on the prevention of these issues, we build a culture of respect across our school community.”

Albertans dealing with bullying or other issues that may be affecting their mental health can access supports 24 hours a day, seven days a week, including the Mental Health Helpline (toll-free at 1-877-303-2642), the Bullying Helpline (toll-free at 1-888-456-2323), Bullying Helpline Chat, and Kids Help Phone (1-800-668-6868).

(With file from Alberta Government media release)