From what I have seen, a pro-active, smart, capable school principal and assistants can stop bullies in their tracks and put them out of business fast....if they want to and don't bury their heads in the sand.
And strong disciplinarian principals and assistants also MUST back up the classroom teacher in stopping the bully in the classroom and playground, and the principals must actively respond to reports of bullies on the bus, too.
These are all situations in which the parents of the victim cannot do much for their child and they HAVE to rely on the principals and assistants for such help. The administrators need to have the authority restored to them to take strong disciplinary measures against bullying.
I think that strong administrators can do a whole lot more to nip bullying in the bud than kids empathizing with each other and learning tactics for standing up to the bullies, in a club. That's not to say they should have the empathy nor learn to defend themselves, but to say that the adults in charge of the school are both responsible for stopping it and are in a much better position to deal with the bully than parents and victims are.
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