HF826 Summary

• Establishes comprehensive student bullying prohibition policy for public schools covering conduct on school premises, during school functions, on school transportation, and off-campus electronic communications that substantially disrupt the school environment.

• Requires districts and schools to adopt written anti-bullying policies defining bullying and cyberbullying, establishing investigation procedures (within 3 school days of report), remedial responses, and protections against retaliation.

• Mandates staff training on bullying prevention and intervention within a three-year cycle, with new employees trained within their first year; requires policies to emphasize research-based preventive and remedial measures rather than solely punitive discipline.

• Creates a 23-member School Safety Technical Assistance Council and establishes a School Safety Technical Assistance Center at the Department of Education to provide evidence-based resources, training, and support to districts and schools on preventing bullying and maintaining safe school environments.

• Amends parent involvement policies to include collaboration on child development, healthy parent-child communication, behavior management, student behavior expectations, media supervision, and resilience building; applies requirements to charter schools effective for the 2014-2015 school year.