Do you live in California? Is your kid or a kid you know about being bullied in school? Lots of them are.
But in the California state constitution it states that children are entitled to a calm and peaceful learning environment. This is binding, and bullying falls inside this description.
I'm fed up with standing by and watching any child be emotionally abused while they are in a California public school setting. It actually isn't going to be that difficult to stop tolerating bully behavior. But we are going to have to roll up our sleeves and make some contact. What I'm going to tell you is something I learned in speaking with a state education department official. It is something I believe every kid in school and every parent who has a kid in school should know. I hope you will help me spread the word.
If your child is being bullied, the best place to begin addressing the problem is with your school principal. Before you go in to the meeting, write down what your child has been experiencing. If your child has talked to their teacher or any lunch monitors, put that in your document. Be clear and direct about the bullying behavior and ask what the school will do to stop that behavior.
When you meet with the principal, please remember that your child has the legal right to be in a safe learning environment. Your school may or may not have an anti-bully policy, but the California constitution ensures their safety.
Ask what measures will be taken to address the bullying, and ask how long it will take to put those measures into practice. Document every part of the meeting, especially what the principal tells you will be done in support of your child. Documentation needs to include the date of the meeting and notes of what was said.
If you do not receive satisfaction from your meeting with the principal, then you begin to follow the chain of command until your child is provided with a safe learning environment.
The next place to contact is the District Office.
After that you take your complaint to the School Board.
Often your local State Assembly person will be willing to step in and help you in protecting your child.
You can also go to your local media to put pressure on your School District if you do not see any change in the school.
If none of this is enough to protect your child from bullies, then you file a claim against the Department of Education for requiring your kid to be in a learning environment that is contrary to their constitutional right. According to the woman I spoke with, these claims are always settled out of court.
I want to be clear with you that I do not want my tax dollars spent on paying off families who have kids who are being bullied. What I do want, is for the parents and kids of this state to understand that they don't have to put up with the sort of emotional abuse that kids are killing themselves over. I hope to see an onslaught of complaints that make school officials rethink their unwillingness to defend the safety of children who are required to be in their care.
I need your help to make this work though. If you live in California or if you know a family who does, please spread the word on how to force the protection of bullied children. If you know of someone who is being bullied and their parents are not wiling to challenge the officials contact me. I'll help. If I live close enough, I'll go to the meetings and take notes.