Bullying is a pervasive problem in our school system. Some kids may not want to tell their parents right away for fear that they will be viewed as weak or that the parents’ interference will make things worse. When things get out of control, however, and your child is injured, there are steps you can take to make sure this kind of thing does not happen again. Here are 5 things to do immediately if your child has been physically injured by a bully.
1. Comfort your child
Before you take action to stop the bullying, first you need to let your child know you love them and that you are going to protect them. If a child is worried that they are being bullied because they are “stupid,” “ugly,” or “weak,” as the bully may have told them, reassure them that they are none of those things and that the bully is in the wrong.
2. Get the details
Ask your child to tell you, in as much detail as they can, exactly what the bully said and did on the day of the injury. The more information you have going in, the better chance you have of stopping it from happening again.
3. Contact the school authorities
The teacher is the first person to contact, but you may need to contact the principal as well and file an official report. If the bullying or the injury happened outside of school, then the police will be your authority contact. The school can’t do anything if it’s not on their grounds.
4. Look into legal options
If the bully has injured your child seriously or you suspect they will in the future, you will want to know what you can do about it legally . Seek out an accident attorney and consult with them about what options you may have in getting financial help for any medical bills resulting from this.
5. Check in
If your child reports any further bullying after you have followed these steps, return to the authorities and request that further action be taken. Let them know that you’re not going to just go away. You are going to continue to fight this until you know your child will be safe.
Many bullies, if they are not stopped, will go on to bully many more children than just yours. Taking steps to stop this action now will not only protect your child, but many others that you may not even know.
About the Author:Jayla Barnsen is a freelance blogger from Eugene, Oregon. She spends all of her spare time hiking and playing with her nieces and nephews in Georgia, and has seen first hand the necessity of seeking out a competent accident attorney in Stockbridge to deal with injury issues.
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