[CORedneck]

I told my 11 year old not to put up with crap from other kids but also told him not to instigate anything either. The rules by schools punishing kids for defending themselves is bull$h!t. I told my son it is better to go to the office and get punished than to be seen by other kids as a wimp which escalates the harassment even more towards him.

Decent children shouldn’t have to attempt to kill others in order to simply be left alone. If the government school system can’t prevent this crap, it should be abolished, period.

[Tax-chick]

The rules by schools punishing kids for defending themselves is bull$h!t.

That's true.

I told my son it is better to go to the office and get punished than to be seen by other kids as a wimp ...

That's a judgment call which could work out okay for him, or not. Either way, he should not have to be in the position to decide, and it's the adults' responsibility to see that he doesn't.

Where else, except for prison, does a person have to decide whether to fight physically against harassment, or live with it undefended? Not in any free workplace - it's economically indefensible, and the person has the choice of leaving the environment. Only schoolchildren and prisoners can't leave.

There's no legitimate reason for evil behavior by minors to be tolerated by the adults in charge.

[cookiedough]

I agree with you. The schools are responsible for making sure that kids are safe and supervised while they are on school property, including the bus.

My kids have been told that if a bully enters into a physical altercation with them, to fully defend themselves. They’ve got black belts in karate, so they can handle it.

I told them I don’t care if self-defense is against school rules. It is their right.

I’ll deal with the fallout. Anyone who tries to punish one of my kids for defending themselves is in for a rude awakening. So is the bully.