Students, their families, school staff, and the community have the right to expect that schools be safe and free of violence. However, students must also come to understand that violence outside the school environment is unacceptable. If violence is to be prevented in the long term, schools must help all students learn how to handle conflict and anger in non-violent ways, and prepare them for responsible citizenship. To prevent future incidents of violence, schools and school boards must work in co-operation with the community as a whole, including students, staff, parents or guardians, social agencies and services, racial and ethnocultural minority organizations, the Aboriginal community, business and labour and other groups.
Violence has the effect or potential effect of hurting the health and welfare of an individual.
It can be physical, verbal, emotional, sexual, or racial and can be directed against one individual or a group of individuals. Violence can also be expressed as acts of vandalism and damage to property. At the far end of the continuum of violence are criminal acts. However, if we are to reduce violence in schools and in society, incidents at all points along the continuum, even those which seem minor, must be stopped or prevented. Threats of physical harm, bullying, or continual verbal harassment can be as debilitating to the victim as a physical attack.