Depending on many factors, going to school can be an exciting experience for students, or it can feel like a terrible punishment that never ends. And often, it’s your classmates who have the biggest impact on whether you love or hate your education.

When it was brought to one dad’s attention that his daughter had been relentlessly tormented at school, he immediately informed administrators of the bullying. But they failed to do anything about it. So now, he wants to go a step further and ensure that the school, as well as the bully’s family, are held accountable. Below, you’ll find the full story that he recently posted on Reddit, as well as some of the replies concerned readers shared. 

This father has informed his daughter’s school many times that she’s being bullied

Image credits: olesyaklyots/Envato (not the actual photo)

But because they haven’t done anything to stop it, he’s considering pursuing legal action

Image credits: vadymvdrobot/Envato (not the actual photo)

Image credits: Fantastic-Swing4853

About one fifth of students have experienced bullying

Image credits: erika8213/Envato (not the actual photo)

We’ve all been told a thousand times that bullying is wrong. “Treat others how you want to be treated,” right? But for some reason, it’s still a prevalent issue, and it’s poisoning countless schools around the globe. According to StopBullying.gov, nearly 20% of students between the ages of 12 to 18 in the United States report that they’ve experienced bullying.

Over 15% of these students say they’ve been tormented by a peer who was more powerful than them, and 14.5% say that the bullying has happened repeatedly. Bullying is more prevalent in middle schools than in high schools, as over a quarter of middle schoolers say they’ve been victims. But it’s certainly still a problem for older kids, as over 15% of high school students say they’ve been the targets of bullies.

When it comes to who is bullying their peers, 56% of victims say that their bullies had the ability to influence what others thought of them at school. Over half of the bullies were also considered more popular than their victims. And 35% of bullied students assumed that their tormentors came from families that had more money than their own.

So where is this bullying taking place? The most common location is actually in the classroom, with school hallways and stairwells coming close behind. 

The cafeteria is another popular choice for bullies, as well as outside on school grounds and over the internet or via text messages. Bathrooms and locker rooms are less common, but bullying does still occur in both locations, as well as in gyms and on school buses.

Parents and administrators must work together to put an end to bullying

Image credits:  Wavebreakmedia/Envato (not the actual photo)

While some might assume that bullying is a rite of passage for students or that it “builds character,” it’s certainly not something that anyone deserves to experience. In fact, it can have lifelong effects on victims.

The National Child Traumatic Stress Network reports that bullying can cause stress, anxiety and depression in victims, as well as anger, feelings of loneliness, isolation, low self-esteem, disruptions in sleeping and eating patterns, health complaints, poor relational skills and more. 

Students that have been bullied are also more likely to avoid school or drop out, struggle with their academic performance, have separation anxiety, cause self-harm, struggle with an eating disorder and have suicidal or homicidal ideations.     

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So what can parents and school administrators do to put an end to bullying and protect students? According to the Crisis Prevention Institute, the first step is having a clear definition for what exactly counts as bullying. It might also be helpful to simply remove labels like “bully” and “victim” and instead focus on addressing the behavior. 

Students should have clear rules and expectations that are easy to enforce, and there must be consequences for when rules are broken. Good behavior can also be positively reinforced to encourage students to treat others more positively. It’s also helpful to engage parents and keep them informed about what’s going on at school. Kids aren’t in the classroom 24 hours a day, so it’s much more effective when teachers and parents are on the same team.

We would love to hear your thoughts on this situation in the comments below, pandas. What do you think of this father’s plan? Then, if you’d like to check out another Bored Panda article discussing similar issues, look no further than right here.    

Many readers supported the father and encouraged him not to back down

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