El acoso escolar

UN RETRATO DE JOKIN CUANDO TENÍA 10 AÑOS

I've been unable to post for the past few days due to:-

1. being busy at work (makes a change)
2. writing an article for the Parents Association (AMPA) for the local primary school, and
3. finally getting my ADSL connection set up at home.

The first AMPA meeting was an eye-opener. We had intended to raise the subject of bullying (our son suffers quite a bit). We were beaten to the post by other parents. Of the nine families represented, five complained of bullying and violence and one other clearly had problems but said nothing. Bullying is a hot issue in Spain. There have been a number of high profile cases, especially that of Jokin, English versions are included here and here. What really gets my goat is the teachers continued denial that there is any problem, in fact referring my son (the victim) to the school psychiatrist!

The only action taken which seems to have had some effect (at least temporarily) has been to make a denuncia against the bullies. This is because, if made against the child, the denuncia is heard before the judge in 24 hours. If the parents cannot successfully defend the case, their children are taken into care. We had the parents round our house double-quick begging us to retract the denuncia. We eventually did this after getting solemn promises from the parents, but made it clear that any repetition would see a repeat performance and no retraction.

What is required now is action by the school to control the problem. This will mean a transformation in attitude by the school staff (not just teachers).