What if I am concerned about my child's relationship with another student?

Children often come home upset about interactions with other children. Conflict is a normal part of relationship development as children learn to navigate new waters. Conflict can and often does occur between best friends and acquaintances. Children are naturally egocentric and have difficulty seeing their part in a conflict. Elementary school counseling is a developmental program designed to help students learn how to handle social problems through compromise, negotiation, empathy, and respect; moreover, we teach students how to resolve conflicts in a healthy and productive way.

If you are concerned about the relationship between your child and another, here are some helpful questions to ask your child:

• What happened?

• What were you doing prior to this event?

• What did he/she say? What did you say?

• Was there anything you did that upset the other child?

• Are you usually friends?

• How do you feel about that child now?

• What did you do after the incident?

• Have you two had problems in the past?

These questions may help to provide a more complete picture of what occurred so that you can support and help your child with guidance and care. If you remain concerned, you should contact your child's teacher and/or the School Counselor for help.

If you have good reason to believe that there may be bullying going on, please contact the school's Anti-Bullying Specialist.

What will the school do if I report a social concern?

The school will investigate the issue by speaking to all of the children involved, and any children or adults who may have seen or heard what happened. Videos from security cameras will be viewed, if available. We will draw a conclusion based on the information gathered and report that back to you. The school will investigate and respond appropriately to both conflicts and incidents of bullying and parents will be informed of the results.

We will help students resolve a conflict if that is indicated. In the event of bullying, the principal may issue consequences and the student will received developmentally appropriate interventions aimed at building more effective social skills and to eliminate bullying behaviors.

Key Conflict Resolution Tools