A lot of kids may not jump out of bed in the morning eager for another day of school, but for Alexis it's much more serious. "I'm afraid to go to school," she says, recalling an incident from the beginning of the year. "This girl came up to me and started saying stuff about me, she started cussing at me, and she hit me in the back of the head." The harrassment continued, and Alexis is scared that it's going to get worse. "My biggest fear is that this girl is going to get even more people in her group and try to attack me," Alexis confides. "I really would like to change to another school."

However, Alexis' mother Catherine feels there's no reason why Alexis should have to transfer. "I do not want her to be bullied out of this school. I just want her to be left alone," she says. "We keep reminding her: You're smart, you're intelligent -- don't worry about what these kids are saying to you.'" Catherine tries to reassure her daughter, but admits, "My biggest fear is that she's going to be attacked unknowingly and that she would eventually end up in the hospital."

What can Catherine and other parents do to protect their children from bullies? Rachael invites principal Jaynellen Jenkins of Holdrum Middle School in River Vale, NJ, to shed some light on what parents need to know.

"One of the things we need to have in our schools is a real sense of family," Jaynellen says. "In my school, we teach the kids that there's no such thing as innocent bystanders. All along, kids are growing up and they're told not to tattle. But it's not about tattling when it comes to bullying. We tell them when it's a matter of something being a danger to them or others it's reporting, not tattling."

Jaynellen's suggestion for parents: "Get very active in your PTA to help promote assembly programs so guest speakers can educate not just students, but parents and teachers on bullying. Also, it will help teachers if they get workshops on those topics -- some schools don't have appropriate funding and through the PTA they can get those resources."

One audience member is afraid her child might be a bit of a bully. "My youngest one is my concern," she shares. "She's 5 and feisty. She comes home and tells me about the kids that tease her, but I'm wondering what she's doing to provoke this. I wonder how much of it she's doing. How do you know what the signs and symptoms are in a child that young and how do you teach them what's bullying and what's not?"

Jaynellen says, "What you want to do is monitor the way they play with each other. If you have relatives, how do they play with their cousins? Or within their play group, do they use their social power to do negative things versus positive things. That's one of the things we tell kids in our school: Use that popularity to do something better for your school, not to put other kids down and tear down the school -- you want to build it up."