Bullying Only Gets More Rampant

The 2011-2012 school year is hear.  Various states have passed anti bullying laws however that does not mean the laws are effective.  The schools have to follow the law for the laws to be effective and it seems by recent news articles that the schools are not following the law.  Many are sweeping the bullying under the rug However that does not mean all is lost is for the bullied child.  The parent must be the hero and take the bull by its reigns. If your child is being bullied, you the parent must get the situation under control by making an appointment with the school administrators.  Once you set the appointment it is then your responsibility to tell the teacher or administrator the facts of how our child is being bullied and request that bullying be stopped now.  Then  ask the administrator what the procedure is to stop bullying so your son or daughter remains safe and protected from the bully. Make sure the administrator answers your questions directly and acts on on your concerns. If not then you may have to seek legal counsel.  Here are a few situations that may occur. 


A couple of scenarios may happen, the administrator may not believe you. If they don't, you need to go higher up . Ask the school for an investigation.  If your child is being assaulted and verbally picked on teachers and other school children will witness this. If no one will speak but your child comes home with bruises, has threats on his her face book, that should be good enough for the school to intervene and punish the perpetrators. If the school still takes no action then talk with the school again, maybe the principal.  If again nothing is done, then you may have to seek legal counsel. 

In Florida there is a Florida anti bullying law and each school district has their set of by laws addressing bullying. Some even have a grievance process.  The Federal Government has just recently allowed children who are bullied because of sexual orientation to file a complaint with the Feds. There is a form on Stop bullying.GOV.  Most schools get some type of Federal funding therefore they have to act appropriately under the federal laws.  Most recently it is illegal to bully a child because of his or her sexual orientation.  If you believe your child is being bullied because he or she is gay then you may have a cause of action under Federal law.  The last bullying must have occurred with 180days though. We will discuss that more at length.