A mother's outcry puts school bullying in spotlight

Last month education guidelines, including advice on how to deal with bullying, were released as the country moves to address violence among students.

The guidelines, jointly released by nine organs including the Ministry of Education, the Supreme People's Court, the Ministry of Public Security, and the Central Committee of the Communist Youth League, ordered schools to be aware of the consequences of bullying and violence, and that officials should be held accountable for serious incidents of bullying or violence in areas under their jurisdiction.

Students with severe behavioral problems should be transferred to special schools suitable to their needs, or in more serious cases should receive administrative or criminal penalties, the guidelines said.

An official with the Beijing Municipal Education Commission told Xinhua that it had ordered the district commission of education and the school to properly deal with the case.

Haidian District Commission of Education has not answered phone calls from Xinhua.