A Christmas Story, Back to the Future, Home Alone, Porky’s, From Here to Eternity, Full Metal Jacket — what do all of these classic movies have in common? They all feature characters who fight back against bullies.
However, when a victim stands up to a bully in real life, he or she can end up getting into serious trouble, especially when it happens at school.
Today, kids who fight back often face criminal charges filed by the school district, even when the school district knew that the bullying was happening and never put a stop to it.
At the Law Office of Larry P. McDougal, we meet with many Fort Bend Independent School District students who have been victimized by a bully at school and then acted out against the bully.
In many cases, the bullying persisted for weeks, months or even years before the victim finally had enough and decided to fight back, like they have seen in countless classic movies.
But the victim is not applauded for standing up for himself or herself, or another student. In the school district’s eyes, the victim is labeled as the aggressor and the bully becomes the victim.
Criminal assault charges are often filed against the student who lashed out, and that student becomes at risk of having a permanent criminal record. That student ends up not just been bullied by the bully, he or she is then bullied by the school district as well.
All of this happens despite school districts like FBISD having “zero tolerance” policies for bullying.
Many people believe that schools use the criminal justice system to deal with fights and other problems so that they don’t have to hand out their own discipline.
What to do if your child is charged for fighting at school
Students are arrested every day at FBISD schools and end up facing criminal charges that could affect the rest of their lives. If your son or daughter faces this situation, it’s extremely important to get a juvenile defense lawyer involved.
An effective juvenile defense lawyer will work hard to prevent a criminal record ruining your child’s life.