HOW WE HELP PEOPLE STAND UP TO BULLIES

For generations, Alabamans have known that schools and even offices and other workplaces can be cruel environments. Often, one person or a small group uses what power and influence they have to belittle or degrade others whom they see as weaker.

This sort of behavior, which can only be called bullying, is fortunately getting more attention these days both from the press and public officials, including educators and school administrators.

While it is fortunate that the standing advice is no longer just ignore a bully or resort to physical retaliation, there is still a long way to go in preventing bullying. This is particularly so considering the ongoing popularity of social media, where bullies can verbally and emotionally abuse their victims without having to look up from their phones or computer screens.

Stopping bullying is sometimes a matter of taking the appropriate legal action. Within the educational system, what one should do to handle bullying through the appropriate channels can be quite confusing, especially since public education almost by necessity is controlled by a number of complicated laws and regulations.

This is why a victim of bullying may need legal guidance from an attorney who has experience in the educational system. In this respect, our law office has the knowledge of the education system and the experience, both as an educator and an attorney, to guide a bullying victim through the correct process so they can hopefully get some relief. While this may entail simply calling the police, it may also mean contacting school officials in a way that will hopefully lead to a productive outcome.