Tolerance

Most schools have one policy that is just absurdly retarded. The so called no tolerance policy. The policy is exactly what it's name implies. If an altercation occurs, regardless of who started it, both parties must be punished.

The most common time for the no tolerance policy to take action, is when a kid stands up to his/her bully. What that means is, the person who was let down by the system, the one who decided that they needed to resolve their issue themselves, suddenly get punished by the system. It'd be wierd if that didn't make a child's opinion of authoritive figures drop immensely.

If the kid's parents aren't understanding, they might even get punished at home for standing up for themselves.

If your parents are of the understanding type, I'd always recommend you to stand up for yourself. Just do not let yourself be blinded by rage and always pick your fights wisely.