HWDSB approves panel to focus on bullying prevention following teen’s death

The Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board has voted in favour of creating a three-person panel to focus on bullying prevention in schools.

The recommendation received unanimous support when it was put forward during a meeting on Monday night.

The decision comes just three weeks after 14-year-old Devan Bracci-Selvey was stabbed to death outside of Sir Winston Churchill Secondary School.

His mother, who witnessed her son’s stabbing death, had said Devan was the victim of repeated bullying since he started Grade 9 in September.

Shari-Ann Selvey was in attendance at the meeting and wiped away tears at the end of the night as she left the building.

Keven Ellis, of the 999 Legion of Child Rights, attended the meeting with Shari-Ann. He organized the vigil at the school in the days following Devan’s tragic death.

Ellis says the boy’s mom had built up the courage to attend the meeting with the understanding that she would be giving the chance to speak but she was not.

“What we saw here tonight was an absolute joke. What we saw here was a bandaid,” said Ellis. “At the end of the day, somebody has to be held accountable inside this school system for what happened there.”

HWDSB officials say the panel’s role is not to investigate the stabbing. They say a third party will look into the incident once the police investigation is complete.

The panel will speak with community and independent experts on how to improve bullying prevention in school and present its findings in May.

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