Megan Gilmour, CEO & Cofounder of MissingSchool, was featured in an article from Third Sector. To view the original article click here.
Children with cancer and mental health issues face a significantly higher risk of being bullied than their healthy peers, according to new evidence compiled by MissingSchool.
MissingSchool CEO Megan Gilmour said up to 1.2 million students were at risk of experiencing increased bullying on top of the complications caused by their conditions.
“Nearly half of kids with rare diseases, cancer or chronic pain experience bullying, and any child with a chronic condition faces five times higher odds of being teased about their illness,” MissingSchool CEO Megan Gilmour said. “We have heard heartbreaking stories of students who, while dealing with serious and debilitating conditions, have also had to change schools because bullying was not addressed. We see this increased risk regardless of the underlying condition, and it’s completely unacceptable.”
Gilmour said bullying and social exclusion often triggered a long cycle of health and psychological challenges, which could in turn lead to higher rates of anxiety, depression, health difficulties and school absences.
“Children who are bullied and have chronic conditions also generally reported lower school satisfaction and perceived teacher support,” she added.
The more than 1500 MissingSchool parent and teacher surveys of children with chronic conditions inform us of these key findings:
- Almost two-thirds of parents reported their child had no individual education plan for their chronic illness (61%)
- 1 in 4 parents reported their child currently received no educational support despite their condition
- Half of the parents said their child had reduced social support from lower attendance (50%)
- More than 70% of those surveyed reported their child with chronic illness had friendships disrupted (71%)
- More than half of the children experienced academic underachievement (55%)
Gilmour said a greater connection with the classroom was needed without further delay to counteract the devastating effects of exclusion and bullying.
“Evidence from MissingSchool’s telepresence initiative shows that when students with chronic conditions stay connected, the top three outcomes are improved friendships and social relationships, improved classroom connection and participation, and better wellbeing,” she explained.
According to Gilmour, the fact that kids with chronic conditions are often invisible due to their absences and often overlooked for specialised support at school means they are likely to be overlooked in the Anti-Bullying Rapid Review.
“We urge the federal government to formally recognise students with chronic conditions as a priority equity cohort – count them in attendance data, address them in national and school-level anti-bullying strategies, and safeguard learning and belonging through targeted supports like telepresence.”
