Are there bullies/kids that exclude others in private school?

[Anonymous]

For those who say their school has a good anti-bullying policy, I'd be interested to see what it is. Can you either cut and paste them in, or provide a web link? Also interested to see anything beyond "Bullying will not be tolerated." Are any specific about the steps taken?

Not really trying to get people to identify their particular schools; more interested in the language and content of the message. Of course, I realize having a policy does not mean it is followed. TIA

[Anonymous]

I don't think it's a silly question. People sometimes think privates do a better job in every area. Not so. Depends on the school. My DC was bullied at a Virginia private school yet teacher said she never observed it so couldn't do anything about it. We had to go to the top to get something done about it.

[Anonymous]

I have been very pleased with how little--actually no--bullying has gone on at CHDS. My experience goes up until the 4th grade.

[Anonymous]

OP here. I'm surprised this thread popped up again. I don't think it's a silly question. Parents pay a lot of money for private school, so I wanted to know if perhaps there is the added bonus that the private schools don't allow/tolerate bullying. (I went to public school.)

[Anonymous]

Not really. Private school administrators are frightened to confront anti-social behaviors. They'd rather lose a kid then create a difficult situation for themselves. They are aware that there are tons of kids vying for a few positions so if you kid can't hack it it's time to pack it. Now if they had more positions to fill and they needed the money they would confront bad behaviors. The bottom line, it's still the bottom line. Private schools are a business too they're not non-profits despite their tax status.

[Anonymous]

17:05 I disagree. If a school doesn't curb bad behavior, other students might leave.

[Anonymous]

OP, I think MOST privates do a better job of anti-bullying that publics. Parents just won't put up with their child being bullied and they scream loudly when it occurs at privates. We did. But I think our teacher was a public teacher transplant with less than two years experience so she failed to follow up with our situation. However, when we told the Head of School, it was quickly addressed.

Annoyed by 17:05's comment that if our children can't tolerate bullying they should pack up and leave. No child, public or private, should ever have to put up with a bully. With everything in the media about children committing suicide because they were bullied, I would think you would be more sensitive?

[Anonymous]

We left public, in part, because of a bullying issue that wasn't being handled well at the school. There, the problem was more about too few adult supervisors for too large a group of kids. The school did what it could, but there was too much space for the bullying types. And they can't really be asked to leave the school (I think - where else would they go?). After transferring to private, I've seen and heard about far less bullying behavior and my child is happier. But of course I'm not there during the day, so who knows.

[Anonymous]

Olewus is the premier evidence-based bullying curriculum that is implemented in schools. It's not a silver bullet, but when it is implemented correctly it is proven to make a dent in the problem of bullying.