What to do if your child is bullied

Be proactive about bullying. Know your school's bullying policy, curriculum and action plans. If you suspect your child is being bullied or your child has reported bullying, take the following steps:

• Ensure safety. Support your child by explaining that you want them to be safe and that you will take steps to protect their safety and end the bullying.
• Learn details. Ask your child to describe what happened. Keep a record of details.
• Keep evidence. If your child experienced cyberbullying, take screen shots of examples and save all relevant files.
• Contact the school. Contact the school counselor, principal or other educators as indicated in the school bullying policy.
• Follow up. Work with the school to develop a plan to respond to bullying, agree on steps to address the problem and follow up with the school to ensure bullying has stopped.
• Contact service providers. Contact internet or phone service providers to report problems and to address needs such as removing images.
• Contact police. Contact police if the bullying includes physical harm, sexual violence, threats of violence, or sharing child pornography or sexually explicit images.