During a meeting with the parent of a student who has bullied, teachers, administrators and school staffs can:
- gather information and facts regarding the bullying situation;
- arrive at a recognition and a mutual understanding of the problem.
To help meet these goals we can:
- listen to the parents’ perspective, without arguing;
- communicate our and the school’s perspective and concern about the situation, as well as commitment to end it;
- provide information about the school’s bullying prevention policy;
- give the parent information about bullying as needed (e.g., the impact of bullying on the student who experiences it, the importance of natural consequences as well as opportunities for learning and reparation for the student who has bullied);
- use a problem-solving approach in order to elicit the parents’ collaboration in finding solutions;
- inform the parent of the school’s response to and monitoring of the situation;
- communicate clearly the school’s expectations, and consequences for bullying;
- encourage collaboration and communication between the parents and the school in order to support students who are being bullied, or who are at risk of being bullied.