Problem is, Thor--the policy of the schools is to punish BOTH combatants equally, regardless of who started it, or what led up to any physical confrontation. So when the kid is beat up AND gets sent home for trying to defend himself, what kind of message does THAT send?
The fact that schools do NOTHING to combat bullying is nothing new, either. They talk a good game, but at the end of the day won't do shit to stop it for fear of "offending" someone.
You're exactly right. My daughter faced some of those problems when she was in public schools. (No private schools were within a reasonable distance).
Formerlurker, you're right in a way. However, those being bullied are typically those that follow the rules.
I recall back in 7th grade, when I started coming out of my shell, so to say. The school bully & "Mr. Popular", Al Jolly sat behind me in Life Sciences class. He kept at me for a while and one day, I turned around and backhanded him. (the teacher had stepped out for some reason) I feared for some sort of retaliation. It never happened. When I did that, the entire class was amazed. I guess the point I'm trying to make is that, no matter how big or small one is, when they stand up to the bullying, it usually ends. BUT, as others have pointed out, the schools refuse to seek justice and discipline both parties as if they both were guilty.
