Anonymous wrote:Thank you for your encouraging words. I guess I'm just going to have to blow the lid off of this thing to get the dialogue started. I've talked to other parents who had similar experiences and some were much worse than ours. I suppose as long as we're all feeling marginalized we are weak.

It just occured to me! The principal is USING bullying tactics on the parents. Trying to belittle our concerns and weaken our voices by sewing doubt. Interesting...

Bingo! You just hit the nail on the head. Tactics of belittling, looking the other way, blaming the victim are all to common among principals in these situations. It is shocking. Good luck to you.

Anonymous wrote:Not in DC, but had a similar experience. The administration blamed my son for bringing the bullying on himself. Nothing changed until I got the police involved. Good luck. That was an awful time for us.

I was going to ask how you got the police involved because they refused to follow up when I tried, but then I saw you weren't in DC!

This was the biggest disappointment for me! My child was being harassed, the school's response was anemic and emphasized making posters and other such "awareness-raising" rather than punishing actual bullies, the police declined to get involved, and the instigator's mother assured me her child "would never do such things". Nice.

Unless I missed it, I don't understand why you haven't had at least an initial talk with the parents of the offending kids.

I wish I had known this before enrolling DC in a charter. I know of at least 3 charters where the principals bend over backwards to protect and defend the bullies.

Anonymous wrote:Charter formula = silence is golden + waiting lists are long = full funding and problems disappear

To the former bully writing here. Thanks for speaking up.

When did your parents know? What steps were taken to subdue your behavior in elementary and Jr high school?

Still, you'd think school leaders wouldn't want bullying in their schools and would counsel the bully and inform the parents, who ultimately don't benefit from having a kid who bullies others.

Also, if a kid was "bringing it on himself" you'd think the school would offer the kid and parents advice on how to avoid being a target.

Charter formula = silence is golden + waiting lists are long = full funding and problems disappear

One thing for sure if the bullying is happening in the classroom, then the teacher who's putting his/her head in the sand and is scared of not having control on classroom management.

I am a former elementary and middle school bully and my antics did not stop until a STRONG parental and school intervention was implemented. When I got to high-school my reputation had proceeded me and abrupt end came to my reign.

OP, if you get good results are you willing to come back & talk about them here? For one thing, it could give parents at other schools a good roadmap.

My child is in PK at a charter where I've heard rumors of bullying. We want to keep him at the school, but I'm considering withdrawing him because even at his level I don't see any effort being made to encourage the kids to treat each other kindly.

pp How does your DC like Eaton?

I'm the OP and we're not 4th grade. If you're throwing your hat in the ring that would represent another situation that I hadn't heard about.

not the OP, my DC was in the 4/3 class and is happily elsewhere

Contact your DC Council person, if need be, get the police involved, and do the one thing this school doesn't want you to....contact the media.

Is your DC in 4th grade?

I'll be at pickup near the stairs (not the side facing the road where preK lets out). If that makes sense to anyone then you might be at our school. I fear administrative retaliation. I know they follow DCUM so I'm not inclined to fully out myself here.