Bonz,
I just had too share this to let you know you are so not alone with the school issues. Today my son got beat up and then suspended. Why you might ask: because a kid who has been bullying him for the last two years by saying nasty stuff to him and flicking him off (he did this in front of me last year) decided to humiliate him in front of the entire gym class today. DS said he just couldn't take it any more so he tried to run back to where the teacher was (the teacher was nowhere to be found when this took place, and never is, that is why there are so many fights in his gym class) and the boy held him back while the rest of the boys circled them so DS swore at him and the kid punched him several times in the face. DS never touched him but because he swore at him he got suspended right along with the other boy. Ironically, this boy was put in DS gym class for the first and only time today because of a field trip he was not allowed to go on with his class.
My son is in serious need of self defense classes because he is a bully's dream because of being so mild mannered and different beause of his ADHD. He did everything by the book telling the kids to stop, trying to involve a teacher etc. Sadly, he did everything but defend himself and still gets suspended.
I called the police and was told I could press battery charges but it was unlikely in our small town that anything would happen since it is the schools responsiblity and they took care of it by suspending the boy who hit him. I am so tired of the BS in our school and the little town politics.
Maybe I will take DH up on moving to the hoosier state just to get out of our sad repressed little town but then it will just be new bullies to contend with.
I know it is life lessons he is learning the hard way but it is so hard to watch him go through it when he is just such a mild mannered kid. Now he will be a nice target for the kids for the next four weeks till this school year ends.
I did make it clear to the principal and my son that I expect my son to walk with the teacher at all times when going to and leaving the locker room. If he is late because the teacher feels cleaning up for the next class is more important than supervising the raging hormone 13 year olds in his class then he will have to explain it to DS teacher in his next class so DS doesn't get disciplined for being late to class. It would be so nice if I could be 13 along with him and beat all the bullies up for him. I grew up with 4 brothers so it was learn to fight or die. lol