Your child asks to stay home from school again. Classmates have bullied them for weeks at their Kansas City school, even after you told a teacher. You want to know what the school will do to stop the bullying and help your child return to class safely. If your child has an Individualized Education Program (IEP) or Section 504 plan, it may help the school decide how to respond.
What schools must address
An IEP lists the special education services a school provides under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. A 504 plan describes support for students under the Rehabilitation Act. Both help schools meet their duty to provide a free appropriate public education (FAPE), which includes services suited to your child’s needs.
That duty matters when bullying disrupts your child’s lessons or the services in their plan. Once school staff learn about that harm, they must address it and assess how it affects your child’s education. This applies even if classmates bully your child for reasons unrelated to their disability. Bullying tied to a disability may also violate federal rules against harassment.
Support that fits your child
If classmates bully your child on the school bus, moving their desk in class does little to address the problem. Their IEP or 504 team might discuss having more adult supervision during the ride. The response needs to fit where the bullying happens.
If your child spends part of each morning reporting incidents, a trusted staff member could offer a quicker way to ask for help. You would then have someone who knows what is happening and how it affects your child’s time in class.
If the bullying continues, you may ask the team to meet and discuss changes to the plan. The school also remains responsible for addressing the bullying itself.
Keeping track of the problem
You might keep a dated account of each incident and note any missed lessons. Copies of your emails and the school’s replies help show what staff knew and how they responded. Together, those records help you explain what your child has been through and whether the school has met their learning needs.