Bullying in schools is a community failure

All over the world, the care and comfort of strangers is not an afterthought but an expectation.  In ancient Greece and even to this day, the practice of ‘xenia’ means if a stranger knocked at your door, your duty was to offer food, shelter, and protection before you even asked their name.  Turning them away risked offending the gods. In the Islamic world, hospitality is a moral and religious duty. In India, the ideal of “Atithi Devo Bhava” or the guest is God, reminds families to treat visitors with reverence and care. In Japan, ‘omotenashi’ calls people to anticipate a guest’s needs quietly and attentively, and not for praise.

 

These traditions differ in language and ritual, but they share the core belief that how we treat people in the margins, the newcomers, the outsiders, the vulnerable strangers, defines who we are. That insight should land close to home for us as Canadians and Islanders. We like to think of ourselves as kind, welcoming people, and in many ways we are. But if we truly believe in the care and comfort of strangers, we have to be honest about the places where our daily behaviour, especially for children, falls short.​

FIVE FACES OF BULLYING

Bullying is the opposite of hospitality. Instead of bringing someone in, it pushes them out. Instead of offering safety and belonging, it weaponizes vulnerability. Bullying tells the child who is “different” because of how they learn, look, or where they come from, the message that they do not belong here. When a child is mocked on the bus, isolated on the playground, or targeted online, they are not only being hurt by another child; they are failed by a community that has not yet made belonging a shared, non‑negotiable standard.​

 

That is why the P.E.I. Home and School Federation has chosen “Stop Bullying. Start Belonging.” as the theme for our 73rd AGM & Spring Conference, taking place on Sat., April 18 at the Rodd Charlottetown Hotel.  Parents/guardians and educators will gather to ask a simple question: What would it look like to build communities that treat every child, not as an outsider to be judged, but as a guest to be welcomed, supported, and protected?​

Our keynote speaker, Alain Pelletier, will speak on the “5 Faces of Bullying”, helping us to recognize that bullying is not just one thing, and it is not always obvious. We will hear from the RCMP’s Child Exploitation Unit and from Home and School leaders about how online harm, school culture, food insecurity, and family stress can all intersect with bullying and exclusion. The goal is not to point fingers, but to strengthen the partnerships among families, schools, and government so that we can respond early, consistently, and compassionately when children are struggling.​

RESOLUTIONS FOR BELONGING

Belonging does not happen by accident. It depends on choices we make in policy as well as in personal behaviour. That is why, at this AGM, local Home and School Associations are bringing forward resolutions that may look technical, but are about creating the conditions for every child to feel safe, supported, and included.​

 

One resolution calls on the provincial government to fully fund school playgrounds through the capital budget, instead of leaving parent volunteers to raise tens of thousands of dollars for CSA‑certified equipment. Play is essential to children’s physical, mental, and social health, and it is recognized as a fundamental right under the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. When playgrounds are outdated, unsafe, or inaccessible, the children who most need safe outdoor spaces lose out first. Fully funding inclusive, accessible playgrounds is not a luxury; it is a concrete way to say to every child, “You belong here, and your right to play matters.”​

 

Another resolution urges the province to increase the capacity for psycho-educational assessments for school‑aged children. Families across PEI know the reality of year‑long waits for assessments that can unlock the supports a child needs to learn and thrive. Those who can afford private assessments sometimes find a way around the queue, while others wait, worry, and watch their child fall further behind. Investing in more school psychologists and assessment positions, setting clear timelines, and publicly reporting on wait lists are practical steps toward a system where a child’s chance to be understood and supported does not depend on their parents’ bank account.​

A third resolution, in development with the Teacher‑Librarian Association of PEI, focuses on ensuring that the province follows its own directive on teacher‑librarian staffing. Certified teacher‑librarians do much more than shelve books; they help children build the literacy, research, and critical‑thinking skills that underpin lifelong learning and digital citizenship. In a world of misinformation and online harm, this is bullying prevention, too. When every school has the library leadership it is supposed to have, more students gain the tools to navigate conflict, difference, and the internet with confidence and care.​

BUILDING A STRONGER FUTURE

The details of these resolutions matter because they are where our values are tested. We cannot claim to stand for the care and comfort of strangers and then ask volunteers to shoulder the cost and liability of playgrounds, or accept year‑long waits for assessments, or quietly under‑staff the very professionals who help children read, research, and reason.​

 

The cultures that take hospitality seriously do not leave welcome to chance. They build it into rituals, rules, and expectations so clear that everyone knows what is required of them. As Islanders, we now have an opportunity and a responsibility to do the same for our children. If we want schools where bullying is the exception and belonging is the norm, we must align our daily practices and our provincial policies with that vision.​

 

On April 18, parents and educators from across PEI will gather to do exactly that.  I invite you, whether you are a parent, guardian, educator, or student, to learn more, ask your school how you can be involved, and help us ensure that every child who walks through a school door in this province is not just tolerated, but truly welcomed. Because a community that cares for the most vulnerable among us is not only living up to ancient ideals of hospitality, it is building a stronger future for us all.​  Stop bullying.  Start belonging.

You can register for the April 18th meeting here: https://forms.gle/vASDSiQZbcEfkAn76  

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David Schult, president of the P.E.I. Home and School Federation, lives in Charlottetown with his wife and two children, who attend UP.E.I. and Colonel Gray Senior High School. For more information, go to www.peihsf.ca or call 902-620-3186.