My son (6) is being hit at school and my options feel exhausted

Question

I'm not quite sure where to start so I'll just jump right in. This incident started on my son's first day of school; he told me as we were coming home that he was hit. I asked him why, how, who, etc. And I explained to him that the kid might be having trouble at home and to be a bit understanding in that regard (I've had this talk before so he knew what I meant).

I brought it up to the school and they assured me it would be delt with and I went home. To cut the long story short, my son was hit twice more, the third time being today 2/23.

The school keeps telling me they kid is being delt with accordingly to which I am not privy to as how but despite whatever is being done, it's not working.

Do I start taking legal action? What do I do now, my son shouldn't just have to deal with being sent to school knowing he's going to get hit again at some point.

Answer 1

You are right to be concerned, and to keep pushing. You are also right to tag this "abuse". Bullying is child abuse.

The school should have an anti-bullying policy. Read it. Then ask for a meeting with his teacher and ask about how it is being followed.

It probably starts with some glittering generalities about the rights of pupils to be safe, so start with that. Then go on to the specifics of what it states. Keep asking how they plan to keep your son safe.

Sad to say, its the squeaky wheel that gets the grease. The more you make a nuisance of yourself, the more the staff will be motivated to solve the problem.

Answer 2

Bullying is taken more seriously by schools today than ever before, but age six is the first classroom exposure for many children. Kindergarten and first grade are hard years as children acclimate to structure, teachers, and each other.

That doesn't make it okay. I agree with Paul: once you know the school's documented policy, you will know how, when, and where to escalate. If the school can't resolve the matter then the district should have a formal process for filing a complaint. If your son is in a private school, you may need to look to the state for help.

Answer 3

Geez with the "should I take legal action crap". No. You realize that kids have been hitting each other for centuries and only in the last 10 years or so have people started taking it to court.

If the other kid is starting it, and you are confident that's the case. Then tell your kid the next time it happens to pop the little bully right in the nose. One hit and then walk away.

I'd bet dollars to donuts the bullying will stop. Bullies pick on those they know they can pick on. No bully picks on someone they know will fight back. I've seen it over and over again. Stand up to the bully once, and they move on to the next weakest target.

Standing up for himself is not wrong in any way. Defending himself should be his first reaction. Diplomacy can come later. Self-defense is recognized as a universal right... being only 6 years old doesn't remove that right.

In these snowflake days of "hitting is bad" everyone wants to talk about it and maybe go to therapy or some other nonsense. You know who wins wars? Fighters... every single time.

Answer 4

Nothing except confrontation or discipline will stop bullying. I recommend talking to the kids parents and asking them to discipline their child