Navigating Bullying: Empowering Parents and Protecting Children from Harm

What to Do If the Bullying Doesn’t Stop?

Sadly, sometimes it’s hard to get the bullying to stop. Some school districts aren’t very good at stopping it, often due to funding issues. And sometimes a bully lives in the neighborhood, and the bullying happens after school. In that case, you have to deal with the parents directly, and that can be even more difficult than dealing with a school.

Here are some tips on what to do if the bullying won't stop.

* Contact the Teacher – If bullying happens at school, always contact your child’s teacher directly first. Don’t ever contact the parents in this case because it’s better for you and your child if the school deals with the issue instead of you. This can help defuse a situation and avoid more problems if the parents don’t act appropriately due to their child being a bully.

* Contact the Parents – If the bullying is happening in your neighborhood and not at school, you may need to notify the parents. The best thing to do is to try a calm approach at first. If you can get proof of the bullying behavior to show the parents, that will help. It’s not easy to hear that your child is doing something like this and today’s parents often will not listen to you. But it’s worth a try. Do stay calm and if they don’t respond appropriately, let them know you will go to the police or get a lawyer.

* Contact the PTA – If the teacher isn’t doing anything, contact the PTA and try to head up some anti-bullying training for the entire school. Often this way will work best for everyone. It doesn’t single out either your child or the bully. Instead, it provides information, education, and solutions to everyone to help curb bullying for everyone.

* Contact the School Board – If that