Bullying - In Schools & Elsewhere

Bullying – In Schools & Elsewhere

Is your child a victim of bullying in school? Going to and from school? On the schoolbus?

The last two issues of a valuable online newsletter from WrightsLaw.com contain valuable information and tips for recognizing and combating bullying.

Go to http://www.wrightslaw.com/ and check it out. The series is in two parts. The first part was for the week of Octoboer 21-27; the second is this week.

If you have a child in Special Education, subscribe to the free weekly e-newsletters right on that website. If you know a parent of a child in Special Education, forward the e-newsletter to him or her. Getting this information out to parents is critical.

Illinois schools are supposed to be safe for all students. The laws are in place. All that is needed is the will to make them so and keep them that way. When students are allowed to name-call, push, shove, spit, topple books from arms, and be grossly disrespectful, those actions must be challenged and corrected.

Bullying should be reported to the principal and to the teachers. If corrective action is not immediately taken, then contact the Superintendent of the School District; if that doesn’t fix it, go to the School Board, the Regional Office of Education and the State Board of Education (ISBE). Document everything. Do not rely only on telephone calls. Confirm telephone reports and calls in writing and save them.

Do you know that bullying is not limited to actions by students? I heard a Technical Consultant from ISBE make a report at a school meeting in which she described actions by school staff as “inappropriate interactions with the student that actually resulted in an increase in undesirable behavior.” She could have used one word to describe it: “bullying”.

Do teachers bully students? What do you think? Were you ever bullied by a teacher?

Questions about bullying? Can’t get it stopped? Post your comments here. If you are concerned about retaliation, email them to me or call me.