Adults

Be supportive and gather information about the bullying. Never tell your child to ignore the bullying. What the child may "hear" is that you are going to ignore it. If the child were able to simply ignore it, he or she likely would not have told you about it. Often, trying to ignore ullying allows it to become more serious.

Don't blame the child who is being bullied. Don't assume that your child did something to provoke the bullying. Don't say, "What did you do to aggravate the other child?"

Listen carefully to what the child tells you about the bullying. Ask him or her to describe who was involved and how and where each bullying episode happened.

Learn as much as you can about the bullying tactics used, and when and where the bullying happened. Can the child name other children or adults who may have witnessed the bullying?

Empathize with the child. Tell him/her that bullying is wrong, not their fault, and that you are glad he or she had the courage to tell you about it. Ask the child what he or she thinks can be done to help. Assure him or her that you will think about what needs to be done and you will let him or her know what you are going to do.

Do not encourage physical retaliation ("Just hit them back") as a solution. Hitting another student is not likely to end the problem, and it could get your child suspended or expelled or escalate the situation.

Peers

Think about how YOU might feel if the bullying was happening to you. You and other kids can lend a hand, even when you aren't close friends with the kids who are bullied. Your school will be a better place if you help stop bullying. And making your school a better place is EVERYONE'S job!

Don't just stand there... SAY SOMETHING!

Kids who bully may think they're being funny or "cool." If you feel safe, tell the person to STOP the bullying behavior. Say you don't like it and that it isn't funny.

DON'T BULLY BACK! It won't help if you use mean names or actions, and it could make things worse.

Say kind words to the child who is being bullied, such as "I'm sorry about what happened," and "I don't like it!" Help them understand that it's not his or her fault. Be a friend. Invite that student to do things with you, such as sit together at lunch or work together on a project. EVERYONE NEEDS A FRIEND!

Tell the student who is being bullied to talk to someone about what happened. Offer to help by going along.

Pay attention to the other kids who see the bullying. Are any of them laughing or joining in with the bullying? If yes, these kids are part of the problem. Let those students know that they're not helping! DON'T be one of them!

Think about who you could tell in your school: Teacher, School counselor, Cafeteria or Playground Aid, School nurse, Principal, Bus driver, or Other adults you feel comfortable telling.

No matter where the bullying happens, you should talk to your parents about bullying that you see or know about. Ask them for their ideas about how to help.