What are the options when a student is attacked?

[Anonymous]

When a student is physically attacked at school, what options do the student/parents have to proceed? File a police report? Bully report? Email principal? What about when the student who assaulted your child is in some of the same classes? What can we do to help prevent this from happening again?

[Anonymous]

All of those avenues are open to you. I’d file an incident report with the school for sure. Whether the incident results in a bullying report depends on the presented facts. If its a serious attack, you could file a police report, and, depending on the age of the student and the substance of the claim, additional steps could be taken.

[Anonymous]

I seem to recall that the police don't typically get involved with "school issues" or something like that. Seems like a protocol they want you to follow, starting with the school. I'd go straight to the police for an assault and would be relentless in persuing a conviction. Dcum is going to jump on me and say I'm crazy, but that's what I would do whether the assailant is 17 or 7. I am serious.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:All of those avenues are open to you. I’d file an incident report with the school for sure. Whether the incident results in a bullying report depends on the presented facts. If its a serious attack, you could file a police report, and, depending on the age of the student and the substance of the claim, additional steps could be taken.

Please tread cautiously here. The consequences for the alleged assailant can be truly devastating.

Do you really want to ruin some poor child’s life over what will ultimately be a small bump in the road?

[Anonymous]

Hi, I’m a teacher. First thing you need to do is file a bully report so that way you can trigger an investigation into the incident that the school absolutely has to provide feedback to you on. The police generally do not get involved, which is correct Unless it’s absolutely egregious of course. If you do not get appropriate feedback or a resolution, then you can ask for a meeting with the principal and if you don’t get any resolution from that, then go to their supervisor. I’m sorry this happened.

[Anonymous]

How old is your child and the assailant? How bad was the assault? What has the response been from school admin and what solutions are they proposing? The answers to those questions would shift how I would decide to move.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Hi, I’m a teacher. First thing you need to do is file a bully report so that way you can trigger an investigation into the incident that the school absolutely has to provide feedback to you on. The police generally do not get involved, which is correct Unless it’s absolutely egregious of course. If you do not get appropriate feedback or a resolution, then you can ask for a meeting with the principal and if you don’t get any resolution from that, then go to their supervisor. I’m sorry this happened.

This. They’ll switch your kid’s classes if you ask. Tread lightly about asking for consequences for the bully if they are in LAD or SES.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I seem to recall that the police don't typically get involved with "school issues" or something like that. Seems like a protocol they want you to follow, starting with the school. I'd go straight to the police for an assault and would be relentless in persuing a conviction. Dcum is going to jump on me and say I'm crazy, but that's what I would do whether the assailant is 17 or 7. I am serious.

You can’t even charge a 7 year old

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:All of those avenues are open to you. I’d file an incident report with the school for sure. Whether the incident results in a bullying report depends on the presented facts. If its a serious attack, you could file a police report, and, depending on the age of the student and the substance of the claim, additional steps could be taken.

Please tread cautiously here. The consequences for the alleged assailant can be truly devastating.

Do you really want to ruin some poor child’s life over what will ultimately be a small bump in the road?

Did you read the part that says only file a police report if it’s a serious attack? A small bump isn’t a serious attack.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:All of those avenues are open to you. I’d file an incident report with the school for sure. Whether the incident results in a bullying report depends on the presented facts. If its a serious attack, you could file a police report, and, depending on the age of the student and the substance of the claim, additional steps could be taken.

Please tread cautiously here. The consequences for the alleged assailant can be truly devastating.

Do you really want to ruin some poor child’s life over what will ultimately be a small bump in the road?

Is your child violent? Call the police.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:All of those avenues are open to you. I’d file an incident report with the school for sure. Whether the incident results in a bullying report depends on the presented facts. If its a serious attack, you could file a police report, and, depending on the age of the student and the substance of the claim, additional steps could be taken.

Please tread cautiously here. The consequences for the alleged assailant can be truly devastating.

Do you really want to ruin some poor child’s life over what will ultimately be a small bump in the road?

LOL
Not hardly!!!!! This is Maryland.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:When a student is physically attacked at school, what options do the student/parents have to proceed? File a police report? Bully report? Email principal? What about when the student who assaulted your child is in some of the same classes? What can we do to help prevent this from happening again?

I'm sorry this happened to you. When this happened to my child in middle school, we did report it to the school but not to police. Just as a heads up, my child initially seemed ok, but turned out to be pretty traumatized by this and we ended up getting a therapist to help. Good luck and I'm sorry.

[Anonymous]

If it's bullying, ask if the school practices "restorative justice". If it does, the school may expose your child to the bully so make it clear you're seeking protection and will not authorize your child exposed to the bully. If it is a serious matter and your child has an injury as evidence, file a police report. I say this because victim-blaming is not uncommon, especially if you feel the school is trying to bury the matter. If the situation is getting out of hand, NEVER file a CFP (which MCPS will encourage you to do). Go straight to a lawyer for advice. Don't be afraid to consider court or file with the Maryland Inspector General.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:When a student is physically attacked at school, what options do the student/parents have to proceed? File a police report? Bully report? Email principal? What about when the student who assaulted your child is in some of the same classes? What can we do to help prevent this from happening again?

How much injury or risk of serious injury?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If it's bullying, ask if the school practices "restorative justice". If it does, the school may expose your child to the bully so make it clear you're seeking protection and will not authorize your child exposed to the bully. If it is a serious matter and your child has an injury as evidence, file a police report. I say this because victim-blaming is not uncommon, especially if you feel the school is trying to bury the matter. If the situation is getting out of hand, NEVER file a CFP (which MCPS will encourage you to do). Go straight to a lawyer for advice. Don't be afraid to consider court or file with the Maryland Inspector General.

I agree to be wary about restorative justice practices. I’ve seen far too many victims at the high school level forced into uncomfortable situations. Ultimately, the victim does the most work rationalizing the attack away while the perpetrator mocks the whole process. I’ve grown sick of the whole thing and won’t allow my own children to participate. If a school offers it, run the other way. Fast.