Are schools no longer safe for our children?

Yesterday my son came back from school shaking ! A 10 year-old boy hit him. My son defended himself as much as he could. Fortunately he had no bruises. His karate classes protected him from the harmful attacks. Unfortunately, my son was upset by the situation. He was afraid to go back to school and get into another fight with this bully. This latter is the strongest boy of the school. No one can beat him, he told me!

Really? Am I sending my son to school to be beaten? Am I sending my son to school to fear for his safety? Are schools no longer safe for our children. Should every parent homeshool their child to avoid bullying? Is this the solution?

I rushed to the school and mentioned the incident. Let’s read their replies

  •  We have to investigate the situation. Does your son have bruises? No he does not, he defended himself, I said.
  •  We need witness or bruises. Seriously: you want my son to be hurt badly to react?  Isn’t that frustrating.
  • Your son should defend himself but he should not hit back. He will  face consequences if he hits back. How can we solve this equation, How is that possible? What he should he do then, I said. No answer from the staff. Isn’t that confusing?
  • Why did this boy hit him? Why does it matter, he was physically abused, I replied

I was confused and frustrted? How am I going to help my son? How am I going to stop this silent epidemic: bullying?

Are schools no longer safe these days? Last week, a teen was beaten by his high-school team mates. 30 students were watching the incident and videotaping it. NO ONE tried to help him? NO ONE!!! Are we raising monsters?

Here are some statistics for school safety and bullying:

 

In 2009, about 28 percent of students ages 12–18 reported being bullied at school during the school year. Students’ reports of being bullied at school varied by student and school characteristics. In 2009, a higher percentage of females (20 percent) than males (13 percent) ages 12–18 reported being the subject of rumors, while a lower percentage of females (8 percent) than males (10 percent) reported being pushed, shoved, tripped, or spit on. In addition, a higher percentage of females (6 percent) than males (4 percent) also reported being excluded from activities on purpose.

 

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics. (2012). Indicators of School Crime and Safety: 2011 (NCES 2012-002).  

This is so sad!! What should we do then to raise our children in a safe environment? I don’t have the exact answer.

I know that I will fight for my son until it stops. I know that I will help through this by discussing with him, providing him tools to take Karate classes, discussing with the school staff (even if they don’t listen). I know that I will love my  son and tell him that this is not his fault. I know that I will boost his self-esteem!

PLEASE HELP US IN OUR JOURNEY AGAINST BULLYING AND VOTE FOR US FOR BLOGHER VOICES OF THE YEAR. Small gestures can have big impacts. Thank you for your support.

2 thoughts on “Are schools no longer safe for our children?”

  1. I’m so sorry to hear that your son had this type of experience at school. As a teacher at a large, I know how challenging these situations are but we must be vigilant! Thank goodness your son has you to support him and be a voice for him! Hang in there!

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