State issues model ‘anti-bullying’ plan

The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education has issued a model “Bullying Prevention and Intervention Plan” to help school districts comply with the state’s new anti-bullying law.

The 14-page document is intended as a blueprint that local school districts can modify to suit their needs. A sample form for reporting bullying-related incidents is also available. (See below.)

The sample policy includes sections on training and professional development; access to resources and services; incorporating bullying-prevention materials into school curricula; policies and procedures for responding and reporting to bullying and retaliation; and collaboration with families.

Additional sections in the model plan include a formal statement prohibiting bullying, as stipulated by the law; and the legal definitions of terms such as “cyber-bullying,” “retaliation,” and “hostile environment.”

The anti-bullying legislation, signed into law in May, applies to public school districts and charter schools, as well as to their non-public counterparts.

All schools must provide a comment period prior to the anti-bullying policy going into effect.

• Download model bullying prevention and intervention plan (98K PDF)

• Download model incident reporting form (64K PDF)