Good Advice?

I was at work, in the office the other day, listening to a parent talk to the principal.  Apparently the boy is being bothered (bullied?) by some other boys.  The parent said, "I have taught him never to throw the first punch, but if someone takes a swing at him, he's to swing back and keep swinging until the other person can't move."  

What's the principal going to say now?  That's a standard teaching technique, though maybe a little extreme.  But here's why our boss makes the "big money".  Since he can't endorse violence on any level, he says, "Well, we teach the kids that there are many ways to respond to conflict, and then we give them options."  

Angry dad wasn't interested in that!  Too bad I had to go back to work...