Ask Reading Kingdom: School districts promote zero tolerance for bullying but many do not intervene immediately when a student is bullied. What can parents of children that are being bullied do to make sure these policies are enforced?

If your child has been the victim of
bullying at school and school officials do not appear to have taken action, it
is essential that the parents get involved. At the same time, because the
situation lends itself to strong emotions, it is important to strive for the
cooperative relationship that is needed to produce a workable plan.

Here are some steps which can be
helpful to achieving these goals.

• Before contacting the school officials, set up a time
  to talk with your child in a quiet space where you can talk in a calm and
  unpressured environment.  Try to get
  as many specifics as possible such as the dates, names of the kids
  involved and precisely what happened.
• Your child may rightly fear retaliation by the
  bully.  If so, explain to your child
  what you plan to do and exactly who you plan to talk to.
• Before contacting the school, get written copies of the
  school policies and rules against bullying, harassment, and intimidation.
• In contacting the school, start by sharing the problem
  with your child’s teacher(s) and work together to decide how to approach
  the problem. If this doesn’t work to get the bullying under control, go to
  the principal and make a formal request in writing that the bullying be
  stopped.
• If you suspect your child is being bullied but does not
  have the skills to explain this to you (e.g., s/he is on the autism
  spectrum), then express your concerns to the teacher and ask that your
  child’s interactions be carefully observed in a range of settings (e.g.,
  lunchroom, recess, gym, etc.)
• Work solely with school officials and do not contact
  the bully or the bully’s family.
• Keep in regular contact with the school and have them
  tell you the steps they’re taking to help stop the bullying.
• Request that adult supervision be increased in areas of
  the areas of the school campus where bullying incidents are most likely to
  occur.

Throughout
the process, keep in mind the power you have in your child’s life. As Rachel
Simmons emphasizes in her book, Odd Girl Out: The Hidden Culture of Aggression in Girls,
when a child is in a difficult situation, the strength that a parent shows can
be hugely reassuring. Indeed, it is among the most important things parents can
do for their children. The willingness to persist tells children that their
concerns are valid, their safety is paramount, and that they are worthy of your
time and effort.

Finally, perhaps in part to the
increased attention this topic has been receiving, the picture seems to be
improving and there are signs that bullying is declining. In 2017, the journal
Pediatrics reported on a ten year study of over 200,000 students in 109 schools
in Maryland. It found that bullying appears to be decreasing over time in
all forms-physical, verbal or cyber. In addition, many more
youth feel that adults are now helping to prevent bullying as contrasted to 10
years ago (rising from 39% to 71%), with the vast majority of youth reporting
that they feel safe in school (88.5% in the last year of the study).Significantly
and happily, national data also show similar trends.