Sorry, I don't really understand your point. eeZah7Ux seemed to me to be saying that the victim should run and report it to the school. I don't see how a zero tolerance policy would punish the victim in that case.
Now the scenarios I've been talking about are where the bullying has become physical. Most schools that have a zero tolerance policy will punish both people who were involved in the fight/pushing/etc regardless of who started it, again it's mostly due to lack of proof, but the policy expressly forbids any violence. So even if someone punches you first and continues to attack you, the policy means that if you punch back you are in violation too and will be punished. So if you are in a corner and can't run away, the policy says you just have to take it without fighting back or get punished for defending yourself.
So the same will be for your scenario of running and telling the school. For one, you have to escape that bully and hope you're faster than them (before you get trapped/ tackled and it turns physical) or you both end up being punished. Then you have to have some sort of evidence that shows you were innocent and the bully person was unprovoked. Incidents without proof generally result in no action from the school due to that lack of proof, so the bully will continue tormenting you.
You have this same problem with fighting back. You have to hope you're a better fighter, if you're not you will be pummeled. The benefit of running is that very quickly you will reach other people, so you don't have to run very far. With fighting it could continue for a long time and you might get fatigued before the bully. When I took Taekwondo, my instructor said the best thing to do if you're about to get into a fight is run.
How many scenarios at school are there were 2 kids are alone and no one can see them or is in earshot? One technique that might be good, is to teach kids who are worried about being bullied that they should try to stay in a group, or within earshot of others, so they can call for help if they get attacked. And to be aware of surroundings and the environment so that they always have an escape route, they don't get stuck in a corner. Avoiding being stuck in a corner could also help if you're fighting, it gives you more maneuverability. This advice would help weak kids too, not just strong kids.
>Incidents without proof generally result in no action from the school due to that lack of proof, so the bully will continue tormenting you.
What if you create a diary with times and dates of each incident?
Also, what if you can record proof? Start an audio recorder (and inform the bully if you're in an all-party consent state).
It doesn't need to be only 2 kids. The zero tolerance policy has made it so that bystanders won't get involved because they will get into trouble too if they are physically breaking up a fight.
A diary won't really mean much. It's still your words, but now they're just written down.
Recording could be good. It depends on the state laws as well as school policy. You might not have to inform them in some all party states, because many have exceptions for recording if you believe a crime of violence is likely to occur. The bigger problem is if that exception doesn't exist and there are other people around, you need to inform them or get their consent. If they aren't around, the bully knows you're recording and may take the device from you to destroy the recording.
