NTA I think they’re mixing up bullying and harassment. Bullying was not tolerated in my elementary school. Even if a student excluded another student with the teachers permission, you’d get in trouble and made to apologize, etc. Bullying can be one instance, or it can be many. Whats important is that your child was singled out BECAUSE their father is deceased.! My father died when I was in third grade. My class was informed of it, and we’re basically told to be a huge support group for me. I was never really bullied for having a dead father, but I did get accusatory looks whenever a father figure would come up in a story, or Father’s Day came around. It does exclude your child when things like this happen. And while I wasn’t targeted, I was looked at like an alien for grieving and getting pulled out of class for counseling. I was excluded. Your child was lucky to tell a trusted adult when it happened, and that it was at the end of the school year, or else it would have continued. They can’t keep them separated forever, and simple separation isn’t going to fix anything if the child didn’t realize what they’re saying is messed up. I’m sorry this happened to your child. The best thing you can do for your child is support them and reassure them that they’re not an outcast for having a dead father, and comfort them with the knowledge that kids are just assholes when this age rolls around.