Naw, I don't think so...the papers love stories where the powers that be don't do their job. The story would read like the current one whereby the police and school officials did nothing to protect the child and the only way to resolve the issue was for the father to step in.
As for being charged, arrested or sent to jail: sorry, I'd have no problem spending time in jail to protect my child. As I've said all along: there's right, then there's legal. Just because something is legal, doesn't make it right and just because something is illegal, doesn't make it wrong. I know I know, it's called vigilante justice. But the problem with our legal system (and believe me it is NOT a justice system) is that it is so convoluted now, justice gets lost in the process.
The thing is, sure, the whole thing could escalate to the point where someone loses their life. IMO better to be the bully(s) than the victim. I'd have no problem escalating the situation to protect my child. Considering it would be relatively easy for the authorities to stop it. A visit by the police to the bully's home would (should?) stop it right there.
For eg: (this is how it should work)
Kid goes to school and gets picked on.
the bullied kid informs the teacher
The teacher goes to the bully and says: leave him alone
Bully(s) keep at it
Teacher says you're in detention for a week
Detention is over, bullies start up again
Teacher informs the principal, parents are called to the school
Bully's parents deny everything
Principal says: doesn't matter, tell your son/daughter to stop
Bully keeps at it
Principal suspends bully
Bully hangs around school to "get" the victim
Victim calls the police
Police confront the bully and warn him, STOP
Bully either stops or doesn't.
Police are called again, kid is taken home and the parents are warned
Bully doesn't stop (or escalates the situation)
Bully is arrested and expelled
If the bully continues or goes after the victim again, he is incarcerated until the victim graduates.
I mean, kids are being arrested for cyber bullying now, a real life situation should be relatively easy to handle. Now the thing about cyber bullying is, there is hard evidence. It is harder to prove and there will be students who accuse other students of bullying just to get them in trouble. Again, it is relatively easy early on to simply a) tell the two to stay away from each other and b) pay attention to insure they DO stay away from each other.
I wasn't going to post this but hey, it's time.
When I was in senior public school I was a runt. I was a late bloomer. There were two separate groups who took it upon themselves to make my life miserable. At every oppurtunity. 2 used to push me around and when it was time to go home, lay in wait until I unlocked my bike and then took it from me, riding it up and down the stairs until they toasted the bearings. I complained to the teachers, and my parents to the principal and eventually to the police. Sure they were "told" to leave me alone but BFD, that never stopped them. At one point the two worst were given detention, and that only made it worse when they got off detention. The two worst were known to the police and eventually, towards the end of grade 8, they were expelled for other reasons.
The second group had a runt of their own. One time in Science Class they put the runt up to me to bug the hell outta me. They said even HE could whip my ass. We scheduled a fight after school.
So after school we meet in the yard. The runt comes after me, I turned him around, put him in a bear hug and tossed him aside like a rag doll. He came after me again. I put him in a choke hold until he was half unconscious. A teacher came by and pulled me off him. I said to the teacher: (happened to be one of mine) They've been bugging me for 2 yrs and even though I told you, you did nothing. If you had done something it wouldn't have come to this.......needless to say, they left me alone for the rest of the year.
Funny how things work out. WHen I was in grade 11 I was taking the bus somewhere one morning and guess who happened to get on the bus? The leader of the second group. I had filled out and grown a couple inches over him. I got up out of my seat, walked over to where he was standing and said "where's your big mouth now"? He rang the bell and got off at the next stop........
The thing is, bullies are only bullies because they can get away with it. Most will give up once they learn or are taught, that they can't. It is up to the authorities to step in and take care of it as soon as it occurs. HARD.
I remember when I was really young, there was a thing called reform school. That's where all the trouble makers were sent. There, the bullies who thought they were so tough picking on one smaller kid, got a hard lesson: there is ALWAYS someone bigger and badder than you are.
