Bullying Prevention Tips for Parents
How to talk with the school if your child is being bullied
As you begin to approach your child's school, here's what to look for as a response and how to ensure that it is being handled appropriately.
The school's responsibility:
All children are entitled to courteous and respectful treatment by students and staff at school. Educators have a duty to ensure that students have a safe learning environment. Fortunately, most educators take their responsibilities to stop bullying very seriously. Several states, including Pennsylvania, have passed anti-bullying laws and require public schools to have an anti-bullying program in place. Pennsylvania's school anti-bullying programs must be in place by January 2009. Ask for a copy of your school's policy or check the student handbook to see whether your school has policies that will help resolve the problem.
If your child tells you that he or she has been bullied or if you suspect your child is being bullied, what can you do?
Here are some things to do:
- Keep a written record of all bullying incidents that your child reports to you. Record the names of the children involved, where and when the bullying occurred, and what happened.
- Immediately ask to meet with your child's classroom teacher. Explain your concerns in a friendly, non-confrontational way.
- Ask the teacher about his or her observations. Has he or she noticed or suspected bullying? How is your child getting along with others in class? Has he or she noticed that your child is being isolated, excluded from playground or other activities with students? Ask the teacher what he or she intends to do to investigate and help to stop the bullying.
- Relieve the stress. If you are concerned about how your child is coping with the stress of being bullied, ask to speak with your child's guidance counselor or other school-based mental health professional.
- Set up a follow-up appointment with the teacher to discuss progress. If there is no improvement after reporting bullying to your child's teacher, speak with the school principal.
- Keep notes. Keep an organized file of notes from your meetings with teacher and administrators.
This material was organized by Shiryl Pritts, Center for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention at the Windber Research Institute. It was resourced from Take a Stand, Lend a Hand Stop Bullying Now! U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services Health Resources and Services Administration campaign on bullying awareness. (http://stopbullyingnow.hrsa.gov)
