In New Brunswick, Policy 703: Positive Learning and Working Environment, revised in 2013, states the rights and responsibilities of the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development, school districts, and schools for creating a positive learning and working environment in the public education system. The policy pertains to all incidents of bullying and cyberbullying that affect the school’s learning climate, whether it’s on or off school property (i.e. on the school bus), face-to-face or electronic, and apply to all participants in the public school system.

The Education Act was amended in 2012. The amendments include, among other things, the development and implementation of a positive learning and working environment plan, which addresses bullying and cyberbullying, and mandated reporting from school principals to superintendents of bullying and cyberbullying incidents.

Pour plus de détails concernant la législation relative au cyberharcèlement, notamment la législation fédérale, veuillez consulter : Consequences juridiques du cyberharcèlement 
Legal Requirements for Private Schools in New Brunswick

Sous The Education Act, private schools in New Brunswick are not included in the definition of “school”. There is no formal legislation that deals specifically with private or independent schools, nor any requirement that private schools adhere to the anti-bullying provisions of public schools.

Parents/guardians have a responsibility to work with the adults in their child’s life (teachers, school principals, coaches, and group leaders) so that together, they can teach students that bullying and cyberbullying are wrong and unacceptable. Public schools, school districts, school bus personnel, organizers of school sponsored events, and the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development are all responsible for creating a safe, orderly, productive and inclusive environment where everyone is treated with respect.

This is what is expected of parents, under the current legislation:

• Students’ social skills, self-discipline, empathy, compassion and ethics are learned through life, and you are to play a role in transmitting these values to students through instruction and by example.
• In order to foster positive learning and working environments in schools, the District Positive Learning and Working Environment Plan requires you and other visitors to refrain from inappropriate behaviours when interacting with school personnel.
• You are expected to understand that if some students with exceptionalities behave in challenging ways that are beyond the students’ control or understanding, such students may not be subject to the typical consequences established by the school.

Voici vos droits en tant que parent en vertu de la législation actuelle :

Au niveau de la classe/de l’école :

• You have the right to remind the school that every student in the public school system is entitled to work and learn in a safe, orderly, productive, respectful and harassment-free environment.
• You have the right to expect that the school principal prepares a District Positive Learning and Working Environment Plan that includes the following:

1. clear roles and responsibilities for staff, students, parents and volunteers;
2. a School Code of Conduct;
3. consequences for inappropriate behaviours exhibited by anyone in the school environment;
4. direction for managing disruptive behaviours that are minor in nature, but frequent, or substantial and persistent; and
5. strategies aimed at preventing and resolving misunderstandings or disagreements between school personnel and parents.

• You have the right to expect the school principal to implement the District Positive Learning and Working Environment Plan in collaboration with students, teachers, and parents, and to annually report the results to their superintendents of their school district, and to be responsible for their school’s overall effectiveness in developing and implementing the plan.

Au niveau des conseils scolaires :

• You have the right to ask the superintendents of your school district to assist in the development of the District Positive Learning and Working Environment Plan – to foster positive learning and working environments in schools, and to manage inappropriate behaviours by students.
• You have the right to ask your the school districts to provide support to your  school’s District Positive Learning and Working Environment Plan through various means, including dissemination of resource materials and development of provincial and district protocols.

Au niveau du ministère :

• You have the right to ask for the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development to provide support to your school’s District Positive Learning and Working Environment Plan through various means, including resource materials and development of provincial and district protocols.
• You have the right to receive the annual report on bullying in the New Brunswick public education system by the Minister, which shall be provided before the Legislative Assembly during the course of the regular session of the Legislature that follows the year for which the report is made.

Si votre enfant vous confie avoir été victime de harcèlement scolaire ou en ligne, ou si vous en parvenez au courant par l’intermédiaire du personnel scolaire ou de quelqu’un d’autre, vos droits en tant que parent en vertu de la législation actuelle sont les suivants :

Au niveau de la classe/de l’école : 

• You have the right to expect that the school principal to report the bullying and/or cyberbullying incident to the superintendent of the school districts – including bullying or cyberbullying incidents that happen outside of school hours and off school property to the extent they affect the school climate.
• You have the right to expect that a student whose bullying or cyberbullying behaviours poses an immediate threat to the safety of other students to be subject to immediate risk reducing interventions, and potentially alternative educational arrangements – if deemed necessary and approved by the Superintendent or the Director of Education.
• You have the right to expect school personnel to make you aware of problems involving your child and to encourage your involvement in the development of an intervention plan, as appropriate.
• You have the right to expect that teachers and other staff, such as bus drivers, keep an accurate, written record of: notable incidents of bullying or cyberbullying behaviours; the manner in which incidents are handled; and subsequent interventions and progress.
• You have the right to ask that any information concerning the support received by a student is provided to any person who works with the student so that help can be delivered effectively.
• You have the right to expect that if inappropriate behaviours exhibited by students with exceptionalities are clearly not related to their exceptionalities, such students may be subject to the typical consequences established by the school.

Au niveau des conseils scolaires :

• You have the right to ask the District Education Councils to make information on the number of reported bullying and cyberbullying incidents available to parents/guardians annually.
• You have the right to expect that the Superintendents ensure that all school personnel are provided with adequate training, as appropriate for their responsibilities, to recognize signs that a student is in difficulty – with caution not to stereotype students.

Au niveau du ministère :

• You have the right to ask the Ministry to make information about the number of reported bullying and cyberbullying incidents available annually to parents.

Les élèves qui sont victimes de harcèlement physique ou numérique ne veulent souvent pas que leurs parents ou leurs tuteurs en fassent part à l’école, par peur ou honte, mais les enseignants et l’administration doivent être informés de ce harcèlement afin de pouvoir l’arrêter. Travaillez avec votre enfant pour déterminer les adultes dont il ou elle a le plus confiance et avec lesquels il ou elle se sent le plus à l’aise, afin que ces adultes puissent participer à la solution.

Rappelez-vous : approchez-vous de l’école d’une manière calme et constructive, malgré les sentiments douloureux d’agressivité et de peur que vous pourriez éprouver. Il est votre devoir de protéger votre enfant, mais il est également du devoir de l’école de maintenir un environnement d’apprentissage sûr pour tous les élèves. Il incombe à l’école de déterminer les réponses et les conséquences appropriées pour l’élève qui a harcelé et de préserver la vie privée des élèves. Restez concentrés sur la résolution du problème – empêchez de nouveaux incidents et assurez-vous que votre enfant se sente en sécurité et soutenu.

Si vous découvrez que votre enfant a été victime de harcèlement scolaire ou en ligne, soit en apprenant à son sujet par le personnel scolaire, soit par quelqu’un d’autre, vos droits en tant que parent en vertu de la législation actuelle sont les suivants :

Au niveau de la classe/de l’école :

• You have the right to be invited to the case conference at which alternative educational arrangements for your child will be determined and approved.
• You have the right to expect that any discipline will be corrective, aimed at helping your child learn appropriate, self-regulatory, productive behaviours in support of the maintenance of a positive learning and working environment.
• You have the right to be informed of problems involving your child by school personnel and to be encouraged to take part in the development of an intervention plan.
• You have the right to expect that other personnel who work with your child will receive information concerning the monitoring and support your child needs to ensure there is no more bullying behaviour.
• If your child has exceptionalities and behave in challenging ways that are beyond his or her control or understanding, you have the right to expect that your child may not be subject to the typical consequences established by the school.
• However, if the inappropriate behaviours exhibited by your child are clearly not related to his or her exceptionalities, then your child may be subject to the typical consequences established by the school.
• You have the right to know that if your child is identified to be a potential risk to him/herself, to others, or to school property, the nature of this risk will be communicated as soon as possible, on a need-to-know basis, to those who work with the student.

This is what is expected of parents, under the current legislation:

• You are expected to understand that a student whose bullying behaviour poses an immediate threat to the safety of other students, or to him/herself, may be removed from school property, and will be permitted to return to school following an assessment of safety – using the Violent Threat and Risk Assessment Protocols.
• You are expected to support the agreed upon plan of intervention for these students, and be informed of the constraints on the education system in providing services to these students and the consequences for these students’ progress and development if parental support is not given.
• Please note that in extreme cases where parental support is not forthcoming, the superintendent can make a referral to the Department of Social Development where an investigation may follow under the Family Services Act.

1. Prenez le temps de gérer vos émotions. L’apprentissage que votre enfant a été victime de harcèlement physique ou numérique – ou de harcèlement envers autrui – peut être très douloureux. Écoutez attentivement les informations et, si nécessaire, indiquez que vous avez besoin de temps pour vous acclimater à cette information avant de passer à autre chose.
2. Respond caringly to your child. Take reports of bullying and cyberbullying seriously. Always recognize your child’s courage in reporting or talking about the bullying. Explain to your child that it is your responsibility to help solve the problem and stop the bullying or cyberbullying, and this includes reporting the bullying to the school and working cooperatively with the school.  Reassure the student who was bullied that he or she has the right to be safe, to be protected by adults at school, and to be treated with respect by everyone. Help the student who bullied understand these rights. Emphasize his or her responsibility to treat others with respect.
3. Visit www.prevnet.ca to gather more information about bullying and cyberbullying.
4.  Avant de rencontrer le personnel scolaire pour élaborer un plan de sécurité pour votre enfant ou un plan de réaction positive si votre enfant a été victime de harcèlement ou de cyberharcèlement, fixez-vous des objectifs à court et à long terme. Il est important de définir ce que vous souhaitez accomplir et de savoir ce que l’école attend de vous, en fonction des droits et des responsabilités de l’école en vertu de la législation.
5. Suivre et contrôler l’efficacité du plan. Consultez régulièrement votre enfant et l’école pour vous assurer que le problème est pris en charge et qu’aucun nouvel incident n’est survenu. Commencez par consulter régulièrement, puis réduisez progressivement les visites à tous les quelques jours, toutes les semaines, etc. Il est souvent nécessaire de suivre la situation pendant plusieurs mois.
6. Dès le premier moment où vous vous rendez compte de la situation, rédigez un rapport détaillé sur ce qui s’est passé, quand cela s’est produit, ce qui a été fait et si le plan d’action a été efficace pour mettre fin à la harceleurie.

Gardez à l’esprit que vous êtes un modèle pour vos enfants. Les enfants regardent très attentivement ce que font leurs parents et sont influencés par leurs actions ainsi que par leurs paroles. Si vos enfants voient que vous communiquez avec respect et restez constructif face aux désaccords avec les autres, ils sont plus susceptibles de faire de même.