Intolerant Schools Leave Students and Parents Feeling Helpless

I recently read an article here about a mother whose son was being physically and verbally abused at his school because he appeared to be goth. The school officials have done nothing for him aside from suggesting he change his appearance so the treatment he receives will be better. The mother and son feel helpless, and are actually considering home schooling as an alternative.

I don't believe it is right for these people to feel they are being forced out of a school. Intolerant schools do not have any right to weed out "undesirables" by doing nothing to change an unacceptable situation. Parents and teens need to realize they are not helpless, they have resources to address the intolerant attitudes and have their grievances resolved.

The first thing that would need to be done is have the student document school incidents where s/he is attacked. Try to remember everything, from when and where it happened to who was involved and was said and done. Also write down how the student reacted. Once it's all out on paper, look at the incidents objectively and ask questions as a prosecuting lawyer might, and make sure to answer completely honestly. Did the student do or say anything at all to provoke the attack? Did the student fight back, verbally or physically? Has the student said or done something in the past that might be cause for revenge? If no fault can be found with the student, go back over everything one last time to make sure nothing has been forgotten. You will lose credibility if something is brought up that the student neglected to mention. Once you are finished, rewrite the incidents in a clear objective account and move to the next step.