While Pink Shirt Day is intended to be all about students, it’s not only students that participate in the annual anti-bullying day of action.
Const. Gerald Lau, school liaison officer with the New Westminster Police Department, was set tour local elementary and middle schools in his very own pink shirt on Wednesday to bring awareness to a problem that persists in schools.
“Bullying, unfortunately, happens every day in life, and I think the more publicity we can get about anti-bullying campaigns, the better it is. I think everything needs to be brought to the forefront to be dealt with,” Lau said.
An important part of campaigns like Pink Shirt Day is education, he added.
That includes teaching kids about the different types of bullying and instructing them on how to get help if they’re a victim of or a witness to bullying.
“With bullying it’s all about the continuation, right? So if somebody doesn’t do anything, it’ll keep happening, keep happening, keep happening. So we need to stop the cycle, and the first thing to stop the cycle is to notify an adult,” Lau said.
When students speak up, teachers, staff and liaison officers like Lau can get involved and find a solution to the problem. To curb bullying in city schools, the police department hosts regular parents’ night out events where professionals share with parents tips on spotting signs of bullying and what to do.
For more info, go to www.nwpolice.org.
