A BRIMBANK secondary college has been praised for leading the way in tackling bullying.
Education Minister Martin Dixon visited St Albans Secondary College on Friday to launch the next phase of the government’s $14.5 million package to combat bullying in all its forms.
Friday also marked the second annual ‘National Day of Action Against Bullying and Violence’.
Mr Dixon praised the college. “St Albans is a shining example of a school that’s doing everything to ensure all students feel safe from bullies,” he said.
The school last year introduced an ‘anti-bullying box’, allowing students to anonymously write down the name of bullies and place it into a box in the school library.
Staff at the school monitor the box and when necessary speak to bullies about their behaviour.
Year 11 student Mariah Magri, 16, said the school’s anti-bullying initiatives had been a big success.
She said students had a lot to do with the school policy and “we are very proud of it because it encourages people to speak up about their problems”.
Principal Kerrie Dowsley said the school’s zero-tolerance approach was applied to all forms of bullying – verbal, physical or online.
“We encourage students to make us aware if online bullying is affecting their well-being and we will always make an attempt to address the issue,” she said.
“It’s about getting parents, students and teachers together to tackle this problem.”
Thousands of students across the state took part in an interactive cyberbullying forum on Friday.
Mr Dixon urged students to take a stand against bullying.
“With eSmart and other initiatives we have the programs in place, we have the money in place, and now is the time to give young people a voice in saying enough is enough,” he said.
Other schools in Brimbank have also launched initiatives to protect students against bullying and cyberbullying.
On Friday, members of the Keilor Downs police proactive unit visited Keilor Views Primary School, encouraging grade 5 and 8 students to speak up if they witnessed or were victims of online bullying.
