Some very good questions posed here.  Bullying is a very complicated issue and there are no quick and dirty easy answers. That being said, many schools do not clear enough policies in place or they may have the policies in place, but simply are not effectively enforcing these policies.  As a parent, it is important to keep the school informed on what your child says is occuring.  Gathering information such as time, place, consistency of the occurrences and involved parties are all important parts of information that a school can use to try and tailor the environment to be more bully free.  We also think it is important at all schools to raise awareness about bullying by educating the students about what bullyiing is, how to respond when they are bullied, and how to stand up for others when they are the bystanders to bullying.  Often times the best resource for a student may not be a teacher, but another student who can be there for them.  

When situations arise where parents and school begin to clash in regards to bullying policies, things can easily blow up and get out of control, which can divide a school and make the environment even worse for the kids who are stuck in the middle.  If you feel the school is failing your student and think they may be in danger, take the appropriate steps in going up the chain of command to superintendant and always keep an attitude of problem solving as opposed to attacking.  If over time you continue to be unsatisfied, it may be time to switch schools.  We also think counseling is very beneficial to students who experience severe bullying.

If you need to talk further about these questions, please call our hotline and we would be happy to help however we can!

Counselor, Dominic
Boys Town National Hotline-A resource for parents and teens
1-800-448-3000
www.parenting.org