SB 1508
Initials CH Page 1 Caucus & COW
ARIZONA HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Fifty-seventh Legislature
First Regular Session
Senate: ED DPA/SE 7-0-0-0 |3rd Read 17-12-1-0
House: ED DP 8-4-0-0
SB 1508: technical correction; additional judges
NOW: bullying; definition
Sponsor: Senator Bolick, LD 2
Caucus & COW
Overview
Prescribes definitions of bullying, cyberbullying, harassment and intimidation that a school
district governing board (governing board) must include in its policies to prohibit the
harassment, intimidation and bullying of students.
History
A governing board must prescribe and enforce policies and procedures to prohibit students
from harassing, intimidating and bullying other students on school grounds, on school
property, on school buses, at school bus stops, at school-sponsored events and activities and
through the use of electronic technology or communication on school computers, networks,
forums and mailing lists that include: 1) procedures for the confidential reporting of
harassment, intimidation or bullying; 2) a requirement for employees to report suspected
harassment, intimidation or bullying; 3) a requirement for school officials to provide students
or an alleged victim a copy of the rights, protections and support services available; 4) formal
processes for documenting and investigating reported harassment, intimidation or bullying;
5) disciplinary procedures for students who have harassed, intimidated or bullied; 6)
consequences for submitting false reports of harassment, intimidation or bullying; and 7)
procedures to protect students who are physically harmed due to harassment, intimidation
and bullying (A.R.S. § 15-341).
Harass means conduct directed at a specific person that would cause a reasonable person to
be seriously alarmed, annoyed, humiliated or mentally distressed and that, in fact, seriously
alarms, annoys, humiliates or mentally distresses the person. A person commits harassment
if they knowingly and repeatedly commit acts that harass another person or the person
knowingly commits specified acts in a manner that harasses (A.R.S. § 13-2921).
A person commits threatening or intimidating if they threaten or intimidate by word or
conduct to cause: 1) physical injury or serious damage to the property of another person; 2)
serious public inconvenience, including reckless disregard to causing such an inconvenience;
or 3) physical injury or damage to the property of another person to promote, further or assist
in the interests of or to cause, induce or solicit another person to participate in a criminal
street gang, criminal syndicate or a racketeering enterprise (A.R.S. § 13-1202).
☐ Prop 105 (45 votes) ☐ Prop 108 (40 votes) ☐ Emergency (40 votes) ☐ Fiscal Note SB 1508
Initials CH Page 2 Caucus & COW
Provisions
1. Requires a governing board's policies to prohibit the harassing, intimidating and bullying
of students to include a definition of bullying that means a single significant act or pattern
of acts by a student that:
a) is directed at another student;
b) exploits an imbalance of power;
c) involves written or verbal expression or expression through electronic means or
physical conduct;
d) occurs on or is delivered to school property, a school-sponsored activity, a school-
related activity, a school district vehicle or a vehicle used to transport students to
school, a school-sponsored activity or a school-related activity; and
e) meets any of the following:
i. results in physical harm or substantial negative mental health effects to a student
or damage to a student's property;
ii. places a student in reasonable fear of harm or damage to their property;
iii. is sufficiently severe, persistent and pervasive that the conduct or threatened
conduct creates an intimidating, threatening or abusive educational environment
for a student;
iv. materially and substantially disrupts the educational process or the orderly
operation of a classroom or school; or
v. infringes on the rights of a student at school. (Sec. 1)
2. Adds, to a governing board's policies to prohibit the harassing, intimidating and bullying
of students, a definition of cyberbullying that substantially:
a) means bullying conducted through an electronic communication device or email,
instant or text messaging, a social media application, an internet website or any other
internet-based communication platform; and
b) includes any conduct or communication delivered to school property, a school-
sponsored activity or a school-related activity if the conduct or communication
interferes with a student's educational opportunities or substantially disrupts the
orderly operation of a classroom, school, school-sponsored activity or school-related
activity. (Sec. 1)
3. Specifies the devices included in electronic communication device as it relates to the
definition of cyberbullying. (Sec. 1)
4. Requires the definitions of harassment and intimidation in a governing board's policies
to prohibit the harassing, intimidating and bullying of students to be consistent with the
definitions in the Arizona Criminal Code. (Sec. 1)
5. Makes technical changes. (Sec. 1)