Sask. government wants kids to report bullying online

The Saskatchewan government says it will create an anonymous online reporting tool for the reporting of bullying incidents.

It's part of an anti-bullying plan unveiled Thursday by Education Minister Don Morgan.

The website, which is expected to be operational by April, would be monitored by the province.

"Right now it's going to be somebody from the province and they'll refer things back to the appropriate school division," Morgan said Thursday. "We're looking at other partners or other options for how that might work. SaskTel certainly has got an interest and there may be other entities that would as well."

The province also wants to put more resources online for students, teachers, and parents.It says it wants to involve youth in finding solutions to bullying.

The cost to implement all the recommendations is $1.3 million over three years.

There are no new penalties or new provincial laws in the plan. The province says it wants to study the implications of upcoming federal cyberbullying legislation.

The Saskatchewan School Boards Association said it supported the provincial government's plan.

The Opposition NDP said it's disappointed with the government's plan and called the report vague and falling short when it comes to taking immediate action to curb bullying. The NDP said the website to help young people could have been up and running right away.