For Parents (and other guardians) BULLYING, What To Do

Behavior Patterns Begin at Home
Teaching your child good communication and social skills at home will go a long way toward his/her success in school.

Talk with your child about how their day went in school.

Ask about their friends. Get to know their classmates and friends. Volunteer your services to the classroom.

Be consistent, observing your child’s behavior, mood, appearances, appetite.

BOND, SET ADEQUATE LIMITS with your child’s behavior with other family siblings, family members and peers.

Spring break is coming for the schools and back in school days, the warm climate after a harsh winter seemed to entice the ‘fights’, ‘threats’, to be REAL. Here are a few suggestions of how to recognize and handle these situations for SAFETY is upmost in our world for our youth, etc.!!!!!

If there are cuts and bruises, attend to them first. If the injury merits it, or if there is damage to clothing or possessions, take color photographs.
Without overreaction, in a calm voice, tell your child you are angry about the bullying and you will take appropriate action. Never blame your child, the target, or suggest you cannot help.
Do not promise to keep the incident a secret; explain that this protects the bully who is counting on the child to remain silent.
Find out what, when and where it happened, who was involved and if there were witnesses. Ask what response your child made and whether the incident is one of a series.
Make an appointment with the school principal or staff member who handles parent complaints. Give them a written report of the bullying incident. Make detailed notes of the reaction of the school personnel to your complaint. Include names, staff position and date.
Contact the parents of the bully. Some will react in a concerned and cooperative way and will make reparation for the damaged possessions, but many will not In the latter case, point out that what has happened is an assault, that you are reporting the bullying to the school, and it could become a matter for the police. (NOTE: Personally, I have found to have either or both an adult witness to attend this session with you and/or have a purse-size voice activated recorder).
If neither the parents nor the school personnel show appropriate concern followed by action, go higher in the school administration. If this proves unsuccessful, send a copy of the report of ALL EVENTS to date to the police for their files and advise them that you are seeing a lawyer. If money is a problem, low cost legal help is available in most cities.
Under Title 1X of the Educational Amendments of 1992, schools have a legal responsibility to ensure that a non-hostile environment is available to ALL students.
DOCUMENT KEEP A LEVEL HEAD & CALM VOICE

DON’T TAKE ANYTHING FOR GRANTED!

Hopefully, this article will give a few insights for a ‘life-learned lesson’ to ALL children.

Brenda M.J. Hutchinson

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