Sadly, many California children go to school each day worrying about being bullied. While bullying has always been an issue for children, social media makes it much easier for bullies to reach their targets even after school hours. Parents understandably want to do everything possible to protect their children from being bullied. By knowing the signs a bullied child often exhibits, parents can take swift action to end bullying.
Common signs of bullying
Children who face bullying in school may show significant changes in eating and sleeping, which can negatively impact their overall health. Bullied children may come home from school with unexplained injuries or may lose articles of clothing, toys, or electronics without an explanation of what happened to those items. Because bullying affects a child’s ability to concentrate, they often begin to perform poorly in school, which can affect their grades.
Many children who deal with bullying begin to exhibit self-destructive behaviors. This can mean simply acting out at home or more severe behaviors that include self-harm. Children may fake illnesses to avoid school and social events where the bully might be present. Any significant change in a child’s behavior warrants a talk so parents can understand what is going on.
Bullying is a serious offense
Parents should take bullying seriously and should stay in touch with the school to be sure the school administration is doing what’s needed to remedy the issues. No child should be unsafe at school or social events because they fear a bully. California parents who believe their child is being bullied, and it’s not being taken seriously by those in charge, can benefit from consulting an attorney to see what legal options they have.
