When their 7-year-old came home from her Alexandria, Virginia, school crying that she had been pushed on the playground, Brandon and Martia Clark discovered it wasn’t an innocent accident. Their daughter was being bullied by a classmate.

As millions of children head back to school this year, over one in five of them will have a similar experience, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. And in a national study by the Cyberbullying Research Center, nearly 21% of tweens said they had been a target, aggressor or witness to bullying online or by other electronic means. As parents search for ways to protect their children, a growing group of families are turning to an unlikely source for practical guidance: the Bible.

Brandon and Martia talked with their daughter about helpful scriptural principles they learned through their faith as Jehovah’s Witnesses. “We gave her some practical suggestions from the Bible,” Brandon said, “such as Proverbs 22:3, which says, ‘The shrewd one sees the danger and avoids it.’” Soon after, the couple sat down with all three of their children. “We mentioned her specific situation in prayer,” Brandon said.

They also went to jw.org, the Witnesses’ official website, where a search for the term bullying brought up a wealth of free resources including videos, articles, worksheets and other online activities on topics young people face at school. Those resources include a whiteboard animation entitled, “Beat a Bully Without Using Your Fists” and an animated cartoon about the powerful effect of prayer for those who are being bullied. Brandon, Martia, and their children watched the whiteboard animation and realized that totally avoiding a bully might be impossible. “So we concluded she had to act confidently and not be afraid of the girl in her class,” said Brandon. “She wanted to avoid places and situations that could lead to being bullied.” The strategy worked “After talking to my parents, I felt confident,” the daughter said. “And I would not engage the bully as much as I could.”

“I was so proud of her because she came to us,” said Martia. “She didn’t hold it inside.”

Madison Bechtle of Clifton, New Jersey, also turned to the Scriptures when a cyberbully started harassing her in the eighth grade with dozens of disturbing notifications on her cell phone. “It was really crazy. He was sending me pictures of my house. I was really paranoid all the time,” she said. Reading the Bible and praying calmed her anxiety. “It’s just you and God, and you’re just talking one-on-one,” she said. “It’s very comforting, and it works.” She also followed the practical steps outlined in the jw.org whiteboard animation “Be Social-Network Smart,” to protect herself. She told her parents and teachers about the situation and deleted the social media account her bully had targeted. “I still don’t have that account to this day,” said Madison, now 21. “Not every situation resolves so easily. But applying the Bible’s advice and focusing on the big picture can help individuals cope and maintain their sense of self-worth,” said Robert Hendriks, U.S. spokesperson for Jehovah’s Witnesses. “The Bible has proven to be a practical resource for many families to navigate difficult situations in life,” said Hendriks. “The principles found in this ancient book can help adults and children resolve conflict and maintain peaceful relationships with others.” Principles like the so-called Golden Rule of treating others as you’d want to be treated, showing love and being slow to anger are tools Martia said help her family in many circumstances. “It made me feel good to help her by giving her the information from the Bible,” Martia said. “She could use her Bible-based training to handle a tough situation.”