In Illinois, according to the Illinois General Assembly, every private and non-private school in the state is required to file an anti-bullying policy with the Department of Education. This bullying policy should be developed by the parent-teacher advisory committee, school board and any other influential organizations. It should also include the process used to identify and notify parents and legal guardians about a bullying situation involving their child and early-intervention procedures based upon what resources are available to the school and community. However, even with this policy in place, schools may not take appropriate actions to prevent or stop bullying situations from occurring.
A child threatened by another child
Recently, according to WISN12, a kindergartner was told by another five-year-old student that he wanted to watch her bleed after cutting her throat. The young bullying victim had been subject to the other child’s abuse for the entire school year and was not alone. Many other children in her classroom had also been victimized by the same bully. Although the girl was allegedly suffering due to the bully’s actions and no longer wanted to attend the school she previously enjoyed, the bully was kept in the same classroom as the young girl.
The father in this situation stated that the school was not doing enough to end the bullying and the mother filed a restraining order to protect his daughter from the other child. Although a police report stated that the young girl had rocks and dirt thrown at her and was kicked in the face, a spokeswoman for the school said that no specific criteria exists that determines when a child should be removed from their classroom for bullying another student.
A denied restraining order
The restraining order filed against the kindergartner bully was dropped because the father did not sign the paperwork relating to the order and because his wife did not show up to appear in front of the judge. However, in response to the petition, the judge stated that it would likely not have been granted because the order would have been difficult to enforce. In response to the dropped petition, the father said that he would have liked to see the bully be ordered to attend counseling or attend a different school.
When a school fails to take action against a bully, victimized children may continue to suffer from unrelenting harassment for the rest of the school year. Parents who find that their child is a victim of bullying and are frustrated by inaction by the school should consider meeting with an attorney who can create a legal strategy to hold the bully accountable for their actions.
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