LCO No. 953 1 of 7
General Assembly Raised Bill No. 5145
February Session, 2020
LCO No. 953
Referred to Committee on COMMITTEE ON CHILDREN
Introduced by:
(KID)
AN ACT CONCERNING TH E ANNUAL REPORTING O F THE NUMBER
OF VERIFIED ACTS OF BULLYING IN SCHOOLS.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General
Assembly convened:
Section 1. Subsection (b) of section 10-222d of the 2020 supplement to 1
the general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu 2
thereof (Effective July 1, 2020): 3
(b) Each local and regional board of education shall develop and 4
implement a safe school climate plan to address the existence of bullying 5
and teen dating violence in its schools. Such plan shall: (1) Enable 6
students to anonymously report acts of bullying to school employees 7
and require students and the parents or guardians of students to be 8
notified at the beginning of each school year of the process by which 9
students may make such reports, (2) enable the parents or guardians of 10
students to file written reports of suspected bullying, (3) require school 11
employees who witness acts of bullying or receive reports of bullying to 12
orally notify the safe school climate specialist, described in section 10-13
222k, or another school administrator if the safe school climate specialist 14
is unavailable, not later than one school day after such school employee 15 Raised Bill No. 5145
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witnesses or receives a report of bullying, and to file a written report not 16
later than two school days after making such oral report, (4) require the 17
safe school climate specialist to investigate or supervise the 18
investigation of all reports of bullying and ensure that such 19
investigation is completed promptly after receipt of any written reports 20
made under this section and that the parents or guardians of the student 21
alleged to have committed an act or acts of bullying and the parents or 22
guardians of the student against whom such alleged act or acts were 23
directed receive prompt notice that such investigation has commenced, 24
(5) require the safe school climate specialist to review any anonymous 25
reports, except that no disciplinary action shall be taken solely on the 26
basis of an anonymous report, (6) include a prevention and intervention 27
strategy, as defined by section 10-222g, for school employees to deal 28
with bullying and teen dating violence, (7) provide for the inclusion of 29
language in student codes of conduct concerning bullying, (8) require 30
each school to notify the parents or guardians of students who commit 31
any verified acts of bullying and the parents or guardians of students 32
against whom such acts were directed not later than forty-eight hours 33
after the completion of the investigation described in subdivision (4) of 34
this subsection, (9) require each school to invite the parents or guardians 35
of a student against whom such act was directed to a meeting to 36
communicate to such parents or guardians the measures being taken by 37
the school to ensure the safety of the student against whom such act was 38
directed and policies and procedures in place to prevent further acts of 39
bullying, (10) require each school to invite the parents or guardians of a 40
student who commits any verified act of bullying to a meeting, separate 41
and distinct from the meeting required in subdivision (9) of this 42
subsection, to discuss specific interventions undertaken by the school to 43
prevent further acts of bullying, (11) establish a procedure for each 44
school to document and maintain records relating to reports and 45
investigations of bullying in such school and to maintain a list of the 46
number of verified acts of bullying in such school and make such list 47
available for public inspection, [and annually report such number to the 48
Department of Education, and in such manner as prescribed by the 49
Commissioner of Education,] (12) direct the development of case-by-50 Raised Bill No. 5145
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case interventions for addressing repeated incidents of bullying against 51
a single individual or recurrently perpetrated bullying incidents by the 52
same individual that may include both counseling and discipline, (13) 53
prohibit discrimination and retaliation against an individual who 54
reports or assists in the investigation of an act of bullying, (14) direct the 55
development of student safety support plans for students against whom 56
an act of bullying was directed that address safety measures the school 57
will take to protect such students against further acts of bullying, (15) 58
require the principal of a school, or the principal's designee, to notify the 59
appropriate local law enforcement agency when such principal, or the 60
principal's designee, believes that any acts of bullying constitute 61
criminal conduct, (16) prohibit bullying (A) on school grounds, at a 62
school-sponsored or school-related activity, function or program 63
whether on or off school grounds, at a school bus stop, on a school bus 64
or other vehicle owned, leased or used by a local or regional board of 65
education, or through the use of an electronic device or an electronic 66
mobile device owned, leased or used by the local or regional board of 67
education, and (B) outside of the school setting if such bullying (i) 68
creates a hostile environment at school for the student against whom 69
such bullying was directed, or (ii) infringes on the rights of the student 70
against whom such bullying was directed at school, or (iii) substantially 71
disrupts the education process or the orderly operation of a school, (17) 72
require, at the beginning of each school year, each school to provide all 73
school employees with a written or electronic copy of the school 74
district's safe school climate plan, and (18) require that all school 75
employees annually complete the training described in section 10-220a 76
or section 10-222j. The notification required pursuant to subdivision (8) 77
of this subsection and the invitation required pursuant to subdivision 78
(9) of this subsection shall include a description of the response of school 79
employees to such acts and any consequences that may result from the 80
commission of further acts of bullying. 81
Sec. 2. Subsection (b) of section 10-222d of the 2020 supplement to the 82
general statutes, as amended by section 3 of public act 19-166, is 83
repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 84 Raised Bill No. 5145
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2021): 85
(b) Each local and regional board of education shall develop and 86
implement a safe school climate plan to address the existence of bullying 87
and teen dating violence in its schools. Such plan shall: (1) Enable 88
students to anonymously report acts of bullying to school employees 89
and require students and the parents or guardians of students to be 90
notified at the beginning of each school year of the process by which 91
students may make such reports, (2) enable the parents or guardians of 92
students to file written reports of suspected bullying, (3) require school 93
employees who witness acts of bullying or receive reports of bullying to 94
orally notify the safe school climate specialist, described in section 10-95
222k, or another school administrator if the safe school climate specialist 96
is unavailable, not later than one school day after such school employee 97
witnesses or receives a report of bullying, and to file a written report not 98
later than two school days after making such oral report, (4) require the 99
safe school climate specialist to investigate or supervise the 100
investigation of all reports of bullying and ensure that such 101
investigation is completed promptly after receipt of any written reports 102
made under this section and that the parents or guardians of the student 103
alleged to have committed an act or acts of bullying and the parents or 104
guardians of the student against whom such alleged act or acts were 105
directed receive prompt notice that such investigation has commenced, 106
(5) require the safe school climate specialist to review any anonymous 107
reports, except that no disciplinary action shall be taken solely on the 108
basis of an anonymous report, (6) include a prevention and intervention 109
strategy, as defined by section 10-222g, for school employees to deal 110
with bullying and teen dating violence, (7) provide for the inclusion of 111
language in student codes of conduct concerning bullying, (8) require 112
each school to notify the parents or guardians of students who commit 113
any verified acts of bullying and the parents or guardians of students 114
against whom such acts were directed not later than forty-eight hours 115
after the completion of the investigation described in subdivision (4) of 116
this subsection (A) of the results of such investigation, and (B) verbally 117
and by electronic mail, if such parents' or guardians' electronic mail 118 Raised Bill No. 5145
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addresses are known, that such parents or guardians may refer to the 119
plain language explanation of the rights and remedies available under 120
sections 10-4a and 10-4b published on the Internet web site of the local 121
or regional board of education pursuant to section 10-222r, (9) require 122
each school to invite the parents or guardians of a student against whom 123
such act was directed to a meeting to communicate to such parents or 124
guardians the measures being taken by the school to ensure the safety 125
of the student against whom such act was directed and policies and 126
procedures in place to prevent further acts of bullying, (10) require each 127
school to invite the parents or guardians of a student who commits any 128
verified act of bullying to a meeting, separate and distinct from the 129
meeting required in subdivision (9) of this subsection, to discuss specific 130
interventions undertaken by the school to prevent further acts of 131
bullying, (11) establish a procedure for each school to document and 132
maintain records relating to reports and investigations of bullying in 133
such school and to maintain a list of the number of verified acts of 134
bullying in such school and make such list available for public 135
inspection, [and annually report such number to the Department of 136
Education, and in such manner as prescribed by the Commissioner of 137
Education,] (12) direct the development of case-by-case interventions 138
for addressing repeated incidents of bullying against a single individual 139
or recurrently perpetrated bullying incidents by the same individual 140
that may include both counseling and discipline, (13) prohibit 141
discrimination and retaliation against an individual who reports or 142
assists in the investigation of an act of bullying, (14) direct the 143
development of student safety support plans for students against whom 144
an act of bullying was directed that address safety measures the school 145
will take to protect such students against further acts of bullying, (15) 146
require the principal of a school, or the principal's designee, to notify the 147
appropriate local law enforcement agency when such principal, or the 148
principal's designee, believes that any acts of bullying constitute 149
criminal conduct, (16) prohibit bullying (A) on school grounds, at a 150
school-sponsored or school-related activity, function or program 151
whether on or off school grounds, at a school bus stop, on a school bus 152
or other vehicle owned, leased or used by a local or regional board of 153 Raised Bill No. 5145
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education, or through the use of an electronic device or an electronic 154
mobile device owned, leased or used by the local or regional board of 155
education, and (B) outside of the school setting if such bullying (i) 156
creates a hostile environment at school for the student against whom 157
such bullying was directed, or (ii) infringes on the rights of the student 158
against whom such bullying was directed at school, or (iii) substantially 159
disrupts the education process or the orderly operation of a school, (17) 160
require, at the beginning of each school year, each school to provide all 161
school employees with a written or electronic copy of the school 162
district's safe school climate plan, and (18) require that all school 163
employees annually complete the training described in section 10-220a 164
or section 10-222j. The notification required pursuant to subdivision (8) 165
of this subsection and the invitation required pursuant to subdivision 166
(9) of this subsection shall include a description of the response of school 167
employees to such acts and any consequences that may result from the 168
commission of further acts of bullying. 169
Sec. 3. Subsection (b) of section 10-222h of the general statutes is 170
repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 171
2020): 172
(b) On or before February 1, 2014, and annually thereafter, the 173
department shall, in accordance with the provisions of section 11-4a, 174
submit a report on the status of its efforts pursuant to this section 175
including, but not limited to, [the number of verified acts of bullying in 176
the state,] an analysis of the responsive action taken by school districts, 177
an analysis of student responses on the uniform grade-level appropriate 178
questions described in subparagraph (A) of subdivision (4) of 179
subsection (a) of this section and any recommendations it may have 180
regarding additional activities or funding to prevent bullying in schools 181
and improve school climate to the joint standing committees of the 182
General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to education 183
and children and to the speaker of the House of Representatives, the 184
president pro tempore of the Senate and the majority and minority 185
leaders of the House of Representatives and the Senate. 186 Raised Bill No. 5145
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This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following
sections:
Section 1 July 1, 2020 10-222d(b)
Sec. 2 July 1, 2021 10-222d(b)
Sec. 3 July 1, 2020 10-222h(b)
Statement of Purpose:
To eliminate the requirement that each school under the jurisdiction of
a local or regional board of education annually report the number of
verified acts of bullying in such school to the Department of Education.
[Proposed deletions are enclosed in brackets. Proposed additions are indicated by underline, except
that when the entire text of a bill or resolution or a section of a bill or resolution is new, it is not
underlined.]