ENThe present study was aimed at investigating whether student-teacher relationship plays a role in the link between social competence and involvement in bullying in the 1st grade. Subjects were 408 Lithuanian 1st graders, 225 girls and 183 boys. Analysis of results using structural equation modeling releaved that learning-related social competence predicted bullying behavior directly, while interpersonal social competence predicted bullying indirectly, via student-teacher closeness. Bullying victimization was linked to learning-related social competence via student-teacher relationship conflict.