Senate Bill 443 Summary

• School districts, intermediate school districts, and public school academies must adopt and implement anti-bullying policies, with at least one public hearing held before adoption or modification.

• Bullying is defined as repeated written, verbal, physical, or electronic communication involving a real or perceived power imbalance between pupils that is intended or likely to harm pupils by interfering with education, causing fear of harm, affecting mental/physical health, or disrupting school operations.

• Anti-bullying policies must include statements prohibiting bullying and retaliation, identification of responsible officials, reporting and investigation procedures, documentation requirements, confidentiality protections, and parent notification procedures.

• Schools are encouraged to include bullying prevention task forces, annual staff training, student/parent educational programs, and restorative practices in their policies.

• School employees, volunteers, pupils, and parents who report bullying in good faith are immune from liability for the report itself or failure to remedy the incident, with exceptions for designated school officials responsible for addressing bullying.