Criticisms of their parents?

I agree completely. One of the film's best messages is that issues like this can be completely avoided if parents do their half of the job, and if teachers are proactive in "nipping it in the bud" when it does happen. Kids like Stacey, Nikki, and Tiffany need to know that you simply can't treat people like that at school, and if you do, the consequences are going to be huge.

Another thing that bugged me a lot about this movie is the fact that Vanessa's mother REALLY had the blinders on. I mean, my gosh, it was like the writers used Barbara to represent every possible mistake a parent can make when her child is going through something like that. The naivety, the denial, and not providing your child with any practical advice or coping skills ...it was all there. I have to believe that even the dumbest parents would have intervened as soon as Vanessa chopped her hair off, if not before that. Then she let Vanessa go to that party without even questioning her on it or trying to discourage her from putting herself in that position. Instead, she totally bought into it with Vanessa and was totally naive to the reality of it. She was like, "Oh yay, my kid got invited to the popular party, so maybe now if we just go with it, things will fall into place". Plus, all those times when Vanessa was such a horrible brat to her mother at home....man, all I can say is that I would have never gotten away with that, regardless of whether or not I was being bullied at school.

On the other hand, Barbara is an excellent discussion point for parents and teens alike while watching this movie. How did Barbara, as a mother, essentially contribute to her daughter's plight, despite obviously loving her so much, and what could she have done differently? We could be here for hours talking about how Vanessa's struggles could have been almost nonexistent if her parents and school administration had intervened much, much sooner, when the first signs of trouble came out.