Students with Disabilities in Mainstream Schools: District Level Perspectives on Anti-bullying Policy and Practice within Schools in Alberta

Many researchers around the world point out that bullying in schools is aimed towards others, in many cases against students with disabilities. Bullying is a serious issue, which involves many students and is, by far, the biggest violence problem in schools in many countries. The researchers investigated how provincial legislation and jurisdictional policy in Alberta (Canada) related to antibullying policies within schools. The fundamental goal of this research was to develop an understanding of the relationships between anti-bullying policies and perception of how these policies were implemented in schools from the points of view of central office administration in two school jurisdictions. An analysis of policy documents from two districts in Canada provided no evidence of protections for disabled students specifically. Interviews with central office respondents suggested no need to establish special regulations. Interviewees believed that initiatives implemented in their schools were enough for ensuring that students behaved pro-socially toward all students, including disabled peers.