Eight teens arrested in bullying probe
Ontario high school students charged with criminal harassment
BY LINDA NGUYEN AND PAOLA LORRIGIO, THE CANADIAN PRESS OCTOBER 20, 2012
As schools across the country were paying tribute Friday to Amanda Todd, the bullied B.C. teenager whose suicide has prompted an outpouring of reaction worldwide, news emerged that eight high-school students had been arrested and charged with criminal harassment in a bullying case at a school in southwestern Ontario.
Police in London said a probe revealed that a student at London South Collegiate Institute had been the target of physical, emotional and cyberbullying.
The accused students - all female - have been released from police custody on a promise to appear in court. Police say additional charges may be laid.
An official with the Thames Valley District School Board said the eight suspects were suspended earlier this week, and face possible expulsion when the school completes its own investigation into the allegations.
Amanda Todd, who was from Port Coquitlam, B.C., took her own life last week, the latest in a series of high-profile bullying incidents that have come to tragic conclusions.
Her story - laid out in a YouTube video posted online a month before her death - has revived debate over how to prevent bullying and deal with those who commit the abuse.
Bill Tucker, the Thames Valley District School Board's director of education, said the school and police were made aware of the bullying allegations a week ago after receiving more than half dozen tips from students, staff and community members. Tucker said as a result, the school immediately took swift action to "monitor" the safety of the alleged victim.
On Friday, the school held an assembly to highlight the "positive results" of reporting bullying cases.
"Bullying is not tolerated. It's not acceptable. There are consequences," said Tucker.
On Monday, a New Democrat member of Parliament introduced a motion calling for the creation of a House of Commons committee to develop a national bullying prevention strategy that would examine the prevalence and impact of bullying and look for ways to prevent it.
Several provinces have also taken steps to tackle the issue.
Ontario passed anti-bullying legislation in June, a few months after a 13-year-old boy was acquitted of robbing and assaulting 11-year-old Mitchell Wilson in a bullying case that garnered widespread attention. Wilson, who suffered from muscular dystrophy, killed himself last September. The legislation was introduced following another high-profile case, the death last year of 15-year-old Jamie Hubley, a boy who was targeted as an openly gay student at his Ottawa school.
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