A
Ana
Guest
Hello everyone. My ten yr old ds, has been getting bullied by another student since the beginning of the school year. My son is a cautious and sensitive child with a strong sense of justice. He was told by the school and reinforced by me, to tell a teacher whenever a bullying incident occured, and not to take matters into his own hands. He has done this, and the school would instill a consequence on the bully (detention, parent conference, threats of suspension, and so on.)
The problem is, none of the consequences are acting as a deterrent of the behaviour. It just goes on and on and on. My son is getting frustrated and so am I. He is begining to lose faith on the ability of the school to “handle” things. I thought, and so did he, that the goal of the administration was to STOP the bullying, not just hand out a detention AFTER it happens and damage has been done. It has been eight months now and it is clear to me that whatever anti-bullying policies are in place, they are not effective in deterring the behavior.
The last incident, a boy stuck up for my son and got punched in the stomach by the bully as a result. He, the bully, my son and another boy, all received the same consequence and the same written referral, that did not distinguish between who instigasted, defended, and was victimized.
I am angry that a student who witnessed an injustice and tried to stop it was punished, and that the bully is not distinguished as the instigator. The referral says, ALL four boys were involved with instigating or fighting.
Anyway, I am going to the school tomorrow for a conference. I spoke over the weekend to the parent of the other boy (who was phsically attacked). The mother also was very upset at the way the situation was handled. She said her son has been bullied by this other boy since LAST YEAR. The mother has chosen to attend the conference with me. I am glad because I am very anxious. Please pray for us, that the school will be open to dialogue and possible changes in the school policies on bullying that will result in a safer learning environment for ALL of the children.
And please, please, please pray that I will keep my cool. That my anger at injustice, can be expressed in a way that is not counterproductive to the situation.Thank you.
The problem is, none of the consequences are acting as a deterrent of the behaviour. It just goes on and on and on. My son is getting frustrated and so am I. He is begining to lose faith on the ability of the school to “handle” things. I thought, and so did he, that the goal of the administration was to STOP the bullying, not just hand out a detention AFTER it happens and damage has been done. It has been eight months now and it is clear to me that whatever anti-bullying policies are in place, they are not effective in deterring the behavior.
The last incident, a boy stuck up for my son and got punched in the stomach by the bully as a result. He, the bully, my son and another boy, all received the same consequence and the same written referral, that did not distinguish between who instigasted, defended, and was victimized.
I am angry that a student who witnessed an injustice and tried to stop it was punished, and that the bully is not distinguished as the instigator. The referral says, ALL four boys were involved with instigating or fighting.
Anyway, I am going to the school tomorrow for a conference. I spoke over the weekend to the parent of the other boy (who was phsically attacked). The mother also was very upset at the way the situation was handled. She said her son has been bullied by this other boy since LAST YEAR. The mother has chosen to attend the conference with me. I am glad because I am very anxious. Please pray for us, that the school will be open to dialogue and possible changes in the school policies on bullying that will result in a safer learning environment for ALL of the children.
And please, please, please pray that I will keep my cool. That my anger at injustice, can be expressed in a way that is not counterproductive to the situation.Thank you.
