Alabama Education Legal Questions

Bullying is a very difficult issue in schools and, unfortunately, the actions that you as a parent can take are limited.  I would advise you to write a letter to the superintendent of your school district that details each incident when your daughter felt that she was being harassed or bullied, even if you believe that you have verbally told other administrators or the superintendent about all or some of these problems previously.  You need to be as specific as possible (dates, times, places, students involved, students or adults who might have witnessed harassment).  If your daughter thinks she knows the reason for the harassment, i would include that as well.  I would advise that you ask the superintendent to conduct an investigation into the harassment and i would ask that he provide you with written results of the investigation.  If you feel that your daughter is not safe, you should include that in your letter.  You can also ask to have your daughter transferred to a different school within your school district, but that request does not necessarily have to be granted.  I would send a copy of the letter to the principal of your daughter's school.  You could also ask to have a meeting with the superintendent, the school's principal, and maybe a guidance counselor at the school or a teacher with whom your daughter has a good relationship.  During that meeting you could ask that your daughter be allowed to go to the teacher or guidance counselor if she feels unsafe at school.  If you have other ideas for how to keep your daughter safe, I would certainly share those with the school during the meeting.  Obviously, if your daughter is physically assaulted, you could go to the police department to report the incident. Good luck.... Read More