Help For Victims of Bullying

As a parent, you have a responsibility to keep your child safe. You also have a right to expect your child’s school to keep your child safe. If you suspect that there is a bullying problem in your child’s school, there are ways that you can help.

• Advocate for all the children at the school by opening the subject for discussion. Write to the principal or the school board and express your concerns.

• Bring up the subject to the Parent Teacher Organization at your school.

• Be active and involved in your child’s school. If you are on the governance board, PTO or other parent/school group, you are in a position to affect policies that affect your children.

• Introduce your school principal to some of the excellent anti-bullying programs that are available.

As a teacher, you can also:

• Create an atmosphere of respect in your classroom. Do not tolerate name-calling, taunting, exclusion or other acts of social, verbal or physical aggression.

• Listen when children tell you that they’re being bullied – but don’t believe blindly. Take complaints seriously enough to investigate without laying blame.

• Remove bullies from the situation in which they bully rather than removing victims. If a group of girls consistently exclude others from their grouping of desks, for instance, separate them.

• Open the discussion of bullying with parents – not just the parents of victims and bullies, but ALL parents. Include them in newsletters about bullying and invite them to participate in classroom discussions on bullying when it’s appropriate.

• Present a unit on bullying and inappropriate behaviors to open the class’ eyes to what bullying is and how it hurts others.

As a school guidance counselor, you can:

• Arrange for presentations on bullying for both girls and boys

• Arrange for assertiveness training for victims

• Arrange for conflict resolution skills training for bullies

• Educate teachers and other school staff on appropriate responses to bullying, including how to intervene when they witness it.