Your friend can talk to a teacher, but the teacher might not go any further than telling the bully to stop. There are now anti-bully laws in place to protect the victims of this cowardly crime. And make no mistake about it. Bullies are cowardly spoiled brats who are use to having their way with anything, including other persons around them (your friend will realize this latter on in life). However, for now I would suggest that he not only inform his parents, as to what is taking place, but his school district administrators. If they are not privy to the law, you might want to copy/paste the below information and run it by them...They just can't ignore this problem any more, as was the case in days gone by.
"Bullying" refers to verbal, physical, or mental acts committed by a student to harass, intimidate, or cause harm to another student. Bullying may include verbal threats, physical assault, intimidation, or other forms of inappropriate behavior, such as harassment, disorderly conduct, and acts which disturb the peace. Because bullying on school campuses is a growing concern, parents, school districts, and students should be aware of the serious violations and violence that may occur as a result of student bullying, and how it may be addressed.
Anti-Bullying State Laws
A number of states have passed laws to address intimidation, harassment, and bullying in schools. These "anti-bullying" laws are meant to promote school safety, improve truancy rates, and reduce school violence, among other things. The law specifically requires schools to create certain policies for prevention, training, and enforcement concerning behavior that may lead to bullying. Students who violate anti-bullying provisions face suspension and expulsion; whereas schools and districts may face large monetary fines arising out of civil liability claims.
Examples of specific behavior that constitutes bullying include:
Wearing gang paraphernalia and other clothing meant to intimidate or exclude another;
Spreading rumors or posting degrading, harmful, or explicit pictures, messages, or information using social media or other forms of electronic communication (also known as "cyber-bullying").
Taunting or making sexual slurs about a person's gender orientation or sexual status;
Name-calling, joking, or making offensive remarks about a person's religion, gender, ethnicity, or socioeconomic status; and
Physical acts of bullying, such as punching, slapping, or tripping someone.
Federal Anti-Bullying Laws
While federal laws do not specifically address bullying per se, a school or district may be charged with violation of First Amendment, Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, and other laws aimed at protecting an individual's right to equal protection. For example, the Supreme Court has held that parents may sue a school or district for failing to take action on a sexual harassment claim it knew about, but failed to take corrective action (in the case of Davis v. Monroe County Board of Education).
Penalties
Student's who engage in certain acts associated with bullying may be suspended or expelled from a school or district, as well as face civil fines and criminal penalties, including jail time, depending on the specific violation.
School districts may also face civil law penalties, in the form of hefty monetary fines, arising out of its failure to prevent or punish certain types of behavior by students within their district.
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