A teacher's attempt to innovatively deal with schoolyard bullying has triggered a controversy about how to best deal with the age-old problem.

At Langruth Elementary School, about 150 kilometres northwest of Winnipeg, four students were forced to wear helmets and endure ridicule from classmates.

Clay Strong and three other boys earned this punishment by pouring water on another student's book, ruining it.

The helmets had phrases like "loser" and "losers tease people" on them.

Clay says people would call out things like "nice helmets, boys" when he would walk down the hallway with one on.

According to the school division's discipline policy, punishing a child through role-playing is permitted.

But Anthony Strong, the boy's grandfather, says Clay should have been punished privately. He wants the policy changed.

"If he's done something wrong, punish him. Don't humiliate him, don't disgrace him in front of the other kids," Anthony says.

The school and some parents stand by the existing policy.

"This young teacher saw a problem and she dealt with it," says Garry Hill, whose own child has been bullied.

"Actually, I thought it was a good idea," says Nicola Evans, who also has a child who has been bullied. "It was letting kids know how it felt for the children that they've been bullying previously."

A psychologist thinks the approach could work.

"... Without reverting to corporal punishment or removal of the student from class, she's attempting to teach a lesson," says Dr. Eugene Kaprowy.

The costs of bullying

Bullying has been in the news in recent times because of the price being paid by victims.

In Roblin, Man., 16-year-old Gary Hansen was one victim of ridicule and harassment who ended up taking his own life.

Travis Sleeva, a 16-year-old boy in Canora, Sask., also committed suicide after suffering bullying.

In response, the provincial government in Saskatchewan has ordered all school divisions to have anti-bullying policies in place by the end of this year.

Some communities in western Canada are either considering or have implemented anti-bullying laws.

A University of Manitoba academic questioned the value of the Langruth approach.

"There are other ways to teach empathy," Alicia Ordonez, who researches bullying in elementary schools, told The Canadian Press.

"This is like fighting violence with violence. The question here is, what will they actually learn?"

Kaprowy says one risk of the Langruth strategy was it could backfire, making the punished children into angrier, more aggressive bullies.

Clay Strong is embarrassed and angry, but he won't say he's learned a lesson.

With a report from CTV's Jill Macyshon