A mother who says her daughter was driven to suicide by cyberbullying says a new curriculum will help save lives.
Leah Parsons says the teaching material, introduced by the Canadian Centre for Child Protection in Winnipeg, gives her hope for the future.
“It’s vital that we have these conversations, described in these modules, in a manner that is open, direct and empowers the child to think of their actions and consequences,” said Parsons. “Imagine the mistakes we all made as teenagers. Now imagine these mistakes being caught on film, and then imagine being ridiculed over and over again. This is what’s happening to our teens today.”
Parsons’ daughter, Rehtaeh was taken off life support in April 2013 after a suicide attempt.
The 17-year-old girl’s family says she was sexually assaulted in 2011 and then subjected to months of online bullying.
Laureen Harper, wife of Prime Minister Stephen Harper, who was at the launch, says she’s pleased teachers will have access to materials that will keep children safe.
The curriculum is aimed at kids in Grades 7 through 10.
Noni Classen, the Canadian Centre for Child Protection’s education director, said the goal is to teach kids about sexual consent, and show them the consequences of their actions online. Classen says today’s technology makes it a tough time to be a young person experimenting with sexuality.
“It’s really changed what we’re seeing in terms of impact, and the added pressure and stress it puts on kids,” she said.
Classen said she hopes the new curriculum modules will better equip teachers to deal with these kinds of issues in their schools.
“These lessons are going to give the teachers the resources that they need,” she said. “Because they are managing this on an on-going basis and it is interfering and rearing its head constantly in the classrooms.”
The curriculum will include lesson plans for teachers, and two books titled What’s the Deal and It is a BIG Deal — the first for grades 7-8 and the second for grades 9-10.
Classen said these materials will be sent to schools across Canada. A spokesperson for Nova Scotia’s education minister told News 95.7 the department has been in contact with the Canadian Centre for Child Protection, and they’ll be reviewing the legislation over the coming weeks, and will decide whether to include it in the provincial curriculum.