Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Tesaro on February 22, 2010 at 12:00

If there is a case of bullying, that the school do not want to resolve, surely you can take legal action against the school for failing to provide a safe environment, rather then removing your child from school.

If anyone accidently damages anything, they (or carers) still are liable for the repair of said item, however if the item was sound, so that contributed to the damage, then negotiation between the 2 parties as how much each one contributes shold be considered? (most car accidents, are accidental.. does that mean everyone from now on pays for their own damages, even though someone else ran in to them?)

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Geoff H on February 23, 2010 at 12:57

All schools do have a bullying program to deal with this issue. The most important part of bullying issues is the student who is being bullied learning to stand up for themselves. As a teacher I try to help the student as much as possible, especially when the incidents are one-off's. Most of the time, young students don't even understand what bullying is, and they tend to think anything is bullying. Generally, the first time a student feels uncomfortable about what another student has done requires them to tell this student what makes them uncomfortable. I tell my students to say this "Stop it T, I don't like it when you tread on my toes."
The student feeling uncomfortable must say the person's name and what it is that they are doing that is wrong. Most young students tend to just say "stop it", which doesn't get across to the other student what they are doing wrong.
A lot of teachers don't ignore bullying, but when playground duty can consist of dozens of students stating such and such is picking on me, tells me I suck, says I smell, doesn't want to be my friend and so on, we can only deal with it the best we can.
It would be a different situation if and when you see a regular student constantly picking on another student. Don't forget we also need to try and witness it as much as possible, which is very difficult also when you have 25 plus students to constantly watch out for.
With regards to a child accidently damaging school property, very few damages are caused accidently. What, you mean when a student leans back on their chair and the leg breaks. Is that an accident? No, the child would have been told not to do that, and the seat is not designed to be leant on it like that. So the child/parent should be responsible for paying for it's repair or replacement. When a child is given a tennis racquet during PE and they hit the ground with it while waiting their turn? Once again, the child/parent is responsible for the action that caused the breakage. Different scenario if the child was trying to hit a tennis ball and the racquet hit the ground, that would be an accident.

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Phillip Tubman on May 11, 2010 at 14:42

as Geoff H has pointed out he incurages fighting or bulling by telling the student to stand up for them selves there is a law against it and there should be a law agains teachers like this

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Phillip Tubman on May 11, 2010 at 14:38

it was past in the early 2000 that the law was put in place and that it is a crimanal offence for any child to assult , incriminat , threatern , or hurt another child teacher or any other adult but im yet to see any of this take place even after i had 2 children assulted at a school

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Belinda Pryor on May 16, 2010 at 21:58

Removing the child victim from a school with bully happens way to often and isn't right, it happened to my son recently. The bully never got punished and my son had to leave the school ordered by the principal. I even appealed it. Whats happening to schools today?

• ▶ Reply