‘The hurt doesn’t go away’: Students learn the impact of bullying on Pink Shirt Day

Students across Waterloo region got a lesson on the long-term repercussions of bullying.

Waterloo regional police officers visited schools throughout the region on Wednesday as part of Pink Shirt Day.

It’s a day dedicated to eradicating bullying and spreading awareness about the emotional and potential legal consequences of bullying.

“Officer Chris is here today to talk to the kids about bullying, about taking care of each other, about the different types of bullying,” Principal Paul Gladding at St. Anne Catholic Elementary School said.

“Really trying to make it super clear that anything that you say online is going to be there. If you type some inappropriate or mean message to a classmate or a peer, even if you delete it, it’s still going to be there. And obviously the hurt doesn’t go away.”

Officers spoke to students about the dangers of social media and online harassment.

“There’s a little bit of cyber bullying in the younger grades,” Gladding explained.

“Sadly these days, technology is filtering lower and lower by age. Kids are having phones younger and younger and they’re just simply not equipped to handle that and handle the things that they could possibly say to other kids, or that kids are going to say to them.”

Waterloo regional police also encouraged students to take part in their #PostPositive campaign by writing kind messages on pink post-it notes and leaving them throughout their schools.