You too can stop school bullying!
David Ruyle 03/25/2025
Life is short and the time with our children is even shorter. Your child does to have to come home from school after being bullied anymore. If the school or police refuse to do anything file a Restraining Order. But before you do, read on. I have seen a rise in school bullying but not in the sense that you would think as a parent. Our children are being exposed to things that we never dreamed of. 30 years ago the kids who had a beef with each other would settle it with a good mutual tumble behind the cafeteria with peers in tow. Once over, things were settled. Aggression was then addressed by allowing the kids to run around until the bell ran or a game of “Butts Up” during lunch hour but Covid and helicopter parents ended that fun. We could handle the lumps and bruises and carry on but kids today, and no fault of their own, are more sensitive. There was no social media to document in perpetuity a random fight in the hallway like there is today. The play-by-play documentation of anything interesting is immediately captured and often streamed live via social media. These kids have no idea what permanent damage they have done. You as a parent can protect your child not just from physical abuse such as getting punched in the face or threats of abuse by being chased home but also you can stop the relentless calls, text messages even social media abuse. A discussion of free speech can be mentioned later but for now I am going on your emotions while your blood currently boils through your veins. As a parent or guardian, you can file a restraining order on behalf of the child. A child can even file their own if 14 and older. When a parent or guardian filed, it is called a Guardian ad Litem. You are acting on behalf of the child. Coupled with a Petition for Guardian ad Litem you can get the protection via a court order.
It’s really simple,
It’s really simple, if there is violence, threats of violence or repeated harassing conduct that causes mental anguish or emotional distress. Then you can file for a Restraining Order at your local courthouse. Even if they go to the same school or are in the same class, that’s not for you to be concerned with you have a job to do.. The goal is to protect the child from being anywhere near the bully. It is up for debate whether you ask the school to do anything about it beforehand but it is not required before fileing. Safety is the number one goal and the schools inability or refusal to act should is concerning but should be no concern to you before filing. A court order can not only stop the contact such as direct communication or indirect communication on social media but create a physical barrier as well. That physical barrier is exactly what it means, bad boy Johnny has to stay at least 3 to 100 yards from your kid. Now don’t count on the school helping out once the order is granted. In my experience it is 50/50 with a restraining order where they move the bully to another school. So what do you do if the school is now protecting a bully? I just finished a case where we got a 5 year,100 yard stay away restraining order. To this day the school has not moved the bully at least out of the same class, Their response is by them putting their hands in the air and indicating there is nothing they can do. So be it. We gave the school a chance and now the cops are involved. It won’t be hard to prove to the police that there is a violation and that bully will be subject to arrest. That bully is ultimately responsible for his or her actions, regardless of age. If the school doesn’t care then maybe the police will. Again a reminder, once you have a restringing order in place that bully does not have to engage in bullying behavior just violate the court order. Let them sort out whether it was intentional or not, that is not your problem. There is nothing wrong with having your kid have a phone and record any violations by taking a picture, discretion is advised and using it to show the police. Advise your child to contact you as soon as there is a violation or at the minimum find a trusted school employee. When you are ready, give us a call. We want to help.