What Bullying and Harassment Look and Sound Like in the Classroom

May 28, 2021
bullying in a classroom

Every student in America has a right to be protected from bullying and harassment at school. Bullying is when a student is made to feel inferior and less safe by another student or a group of students by being subjected to unfriendly verbal, physical, and psychological actions.   

Harassment happens when the verbal and physical actions against a student are so grievous that they impair the student’s well-being and impede the student’s ability to get education.   

Whether a student is being bullied or harassed, Washington Education Lawyers will help students and parents hold the school accountable and put an end to all forms of bullying or harassment in the school.   

Characteristics of Bullying and Harassment

There are many forms of bullying and harassment in the school environment. It may also differ depending on the gender. Physical bullying involves hostile behaviors such as threatening violence, hitting, and kicking — it is more prevalent among boys.   

Relational bullying is social bullying where students manipulate their social standing to intimidate others. For instance, a more popular student may bulldoze over a less-popular student through social exclusion or starting and spreading bad rumors with a malicious intention of damaging the student’s reputation. Relational bullying is more common among teenage girls. 

Cyber and social media bullying are more common in our modern age. A student who is a victim of cyberbullying may be mocked online, receive harsh comments regarding their looks, body shape, or social standing. Washington Education Attorneys advocate for social media rights for every student to be protected from cyberbullying.   

Sexual harassment and gender-based violence are also common in the school environment. It has serious psychological effects on the victim, which is why Seattle School Harassment Attorneys treat sexual harassment cases with utmost seriousness.  

Sexual harassment takes different forms such as indecent touching, stalking, unwanted sexual comments, verbal sex-based slurs, and pressures to have sex or perform sexual acts. For instance, female students may be victims of sexual harassment from older male students, and in some cases, from staff members. 

Gender-based violence involves physical or verbal harassment among students of the opposite sex. For instance, a male student may kick, grab, rub, touch, or pinch a female student against her will. Education Lawyers in Seattle WA, often represent students who are victims of school-based sexual harassment and gender-based violence.

How Education Attorneys in Seattle WA Can Help When Your Child Is a Victim of Bullying and Harassment at School

School districts must provide a safe environment for all their students. Many cases of bullying and harassment in schools can be prevented if the administration is proactive. Unfortunately, many are the times that schools are negligent and fail to solve bullying and sexual assault cases effectively. Sadly, in some cases, staff members are responsible for bullying and harassment, and the school turns a blind eye to save face.   

Seattle School Bullying Attorneys put such schools to task to ensure that your child gets justice and learns in a safe environment. Schools have a legal and moral obligation to put in place anti-bullying policies and sensitize students against all forms of bullying. When you involve an attorney, you’ll help stop school-based bullying because schools will be legally mandated to initiate and enforce strong anti-harassment policies to protect all their students.

 Your child has the right to study in a safe environment without being bullied or harassed. It’s no longer normal to accept any form of bullying as a normal school practice because it has been proved to have severe psychological and emotional effects on victims. You should contact a top attorney from Albert Law PLLC to get your child justice and put bullying to an end.