By Brad Haire
University of Georgia

Everyone will be bullied at one time in their lives. It will
most likely happen at school. If your child is being bullied,
there are things you can do to help stop it.

Bullying can come in many forms. But it can include, physical
or emotional abuse, damage to a child’s property, spreading
malicious rumors or forcing a child to do something he or she
doesn’t want to do, says Sharon Gibson, a family and consumer
science educator with the University of Georgia Extension
Service.

Don’t ignore

A consistently bullied student can have emotional problems and
can begin to perform poorly in school. And if the bullying is
physical, it can take its toll on the student’s body.

Don’t ignore the problem. And don’t tell your child to ignore
the bully.

“When a child is bullied, he or she may feel angry, helpless or
deserted,” Gibson said. “If that child tells a teacher or parent
about the bullying, they need to know that it is not tattling
and that speaking about it was the right thing.”

Parents can become angry at first learning a child is being
bullied. “Parents should stay calm and first find out if their
child is in any immediate physical danger,” she said.

Contact school

The most important thing a parent can do is find a way to stop
the bullying. Ask for a meeting with the principal of your
child’s school. The principal can then determine if and when to
bring the child’s teacher or teachers into the conversation.

“Again, parents should stay calm. If they are not, this could
set up a defensive action by school officials,” she
said. “Parents should be proactive but not demanding before they
learn more about the situation at school.”

Teachers and principals train to deal with issues like bullying,
she said. Parents should voice concerns but listen too.

Most schools have an action plan to deal with bully situations.
If the school doesn’t, the parent should offer to help develop a
plan.

The child doing the bullying should be given a chance to
reform.

The bullied child should have an adult contact at school to tell
if the bullying doesn’t stop. This person could be the teacher
or a paraprofessional.

There is a lot going on in the average classroom. A teacher or
paraprofessional can have their hands full all day. It can be
tough to concentrate on one child.

Gibson recommends a codeword be established for the bullied
child to use when he or she feels uncomfortable or in danger due
to bullying. This will inform the adult without the child having
to raise a hand or bring much attention.

The adult can then investigate or even witness the bullying.

Parents should follow up with the school to make sure steps are
in place to keep all children from being bullied.

Parents can also:

– make sure the school has good monitoring.

– keep records of bullying episodes and of any communication
with the school.

– work with other parents in their neighborhood to make sure
children are supervised and feel safe.

At home, parents should encourage good social skills and
behavior. They should help their child find his or her talents
and praise accomplishments, she said.