Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:One incident of getting punched is not bullying. Bullying is repeated and targeted harassment. This is your special snowflake shooting off his mouth at the bigger kids, who finally gave him what he was asking for. The fact that no one has spoken up in his defense is telling.
After years of raising kids, I can tell you that only the favorable side of the story gets told.
Not sure who died and left you in charge of dictionary definitions, but in my book getting punched by two kids when the punchee asks the punchers to stop is most certainly bullying. The fact that no one has spoken in the kid's defense may just be that everyone is too afraid to speak up. Not sure where on earth you are getting your imagined story about the smaller kid shooting his mouth at the bigger kids, but it's a very creative little story.
It's kind of nutty, but you seem to be blaming the person who got beat up for getting beat up. That's not the way most of us would spin things if our kid told us he'd been beaten up on the bus. Despite your years of raising kids, your approach to this seems a bit unusual.
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:One incident of getting punched is not bullying. Bullying is repeated and targeted harassment. This is your special snowflake shooting off his mouth at the bigger kids, who finally gave him what he was asking for. The fact that no one has spoken up in his defense is telling.
After years of raising kids, I can tell you that only the favorable side of the story gets told.
Not sure who died and left you in charge of dictionary definitions, but in my book getting punched by two kids when the punchee asks the punchers to stop is most certainly bullying. The fact that no one has spoken in the kid's defense may just be that everyone is too afraid to speak up. Not sure where on earth you are getting your imagined story about the smaller kid shooting his mouth at the bigger kids, but it's a very creative little story.
It's kind of nutty, but you seem to be blaming the person who got beat up for getting beat up. That's not the way most of us would spin things if our kid told us he'd been beaten up on the bus. Despite your years of raising kids, your approach to this seems a bit unusual.
Anonymous wrote:Give your DC the words to fight back. Tell him that he has your permission to tell the bully to F-off.
Anonymous wrote:One incident of getting punched is not bullying. Bullying is repeated and targeted harassment. This is your special snowflake shooting off his mouth at the bigger kids, who finally gave him what he was asking for. The fact that no one has spoken up in his defense is telling.
After years of raising kids, I can tell you that only the favorable side of the story gets told.
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Wouldn't this be assault. Should the police be called?
That would be an overreaction. The bully report should be filed. The child is also self advocating by speaking with a guidance counselor. Hopefully, this will resolve things quickly.
There is a case in Huntington Beach CA where a kid punched another kid (this kid was sight impaired) in HS. The perpetrator was arrested on a misdemeanor battery charge and released to his parents.
Different circumstances. At this point, the OP's situation should be handled by the child's school.
How so? The case in Huntington Beach occurred on school grounds. OP's case occurred on the school bus. Just because OP's kid is in MS doesn't mean it's not assault if he was repeatedly punched. Some MS kids are bigger and stronger than me.
Anonymous wrote:Do you really think the school wants to deal with this? Then it's all discoverable.
It sounds like your sixth-grade kid wanted to sit further back on the bus, where the 7th and then 8th graders sit. That's a slap in the face against the older kids who paid their dues. Furthermore, it's that hierarchy and "learn your place" system that helps overworked school administrators run a school where there's just not the time to babysit each and every kid.
You want everyone to take care of your kid, but you can't bother to head over to school to pick DC up. So DC gets on the bus, and then expects everyone to be polite automatically. Sorry, that's not how the world works.
Deal with your kid's flaws and social dorkiness; don't make problems for lots of other people because you checked out on parenting and failed to give what DC needs to be cool.
Anonymous wrote:What are my options? Middle school child was punched repeatedly on bus despite child's pleas for bully (plus one other kid) to stop. There are witnesses, although sadly none stepped in to help (maybe for fear of being targeted also). Child got off the bus crying while bully continued to taunt him. The punches weren't hard enough to leave a mark, but from my standpoint it's not okay if the bully so much as touched child with his finger. I don't think this should be a warning situation for the bully, but rather zero tolerance and kick him off the bus, suspend, excel, or whatever. I know there is a bully reporting form and am planning to speak with school guidance counselor as starting point. Also know the bully's parent, although not friends, and considering contacting directly. Feeling upset and terrible for child and beyond furious at bully. Can't go through entire school year like this. Sick to stomach and appreciate any guidance from those who have been there.
Anonymous wrote:This is why I advocate setting up schools for children with behavior problems. Growing up, I attended MCPS and there was a school called Mark Twain for these types of kids. I don't know why they shut it down. We bus high performing kids all over the county, why not those that repeatedly cause trouble? Think about it, they get the education they are required to get, hopefully by teachers who are equipped to manager them. Other schools will benefit by not having these types of distractions. In most cases, these kids are low performers, so all school scores will go up.
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Go through the school channels and then through law enforcement. Assault IS A CRIME. And it is grounds for a civil suit too. Document, document, document.
This is why our courts are so overcrowded and overburdened and why it takes years for cases to come to trial. Stop and consider. It doesn't matter that "assault" is a crime. Have a sense of proportion.
This is not why our courts are overburdened, moron. They are overburdened because of three strikes laws regarding drug cases. So swing and a miss on trying to sound trendy. One kid punching another is a crime. Whether prosecutors want to proceed is their call. Zero tolerance for this stuff. No parent on this blog--even the meekest of souls--would not pursue all options if schools don't act appropriately.