TENNESSEE PASSES NEW
BULLYING, CYBERBULLYING,
& HARASSMENT LAW
• Why were you invited?
• What are we here to do?
• What is today’s ultimate goal?
• How long will we meet today?
• The goal is to create a
Bullying/Harassment
Prevention Team consisting
of parents, students, and
staff.
st
1
• Tenn. Code Ann. § 49-6-1016(a) provides,
“each school district shall adopt a policy
prohibiting harassment, intimidation,
bullying, or cyber-bullying.”
• School districts are encouraged to develop the
policy after consultation with parents, school
employees, volunteers, students,
administrators, and community
representatives.
• Determine if our current board policy is
adequate to address the new law
requirements.
• Look at the board policy (in your packet)
• Compare it to (13) required components
• But first, let us look at the state’s
definitions relevant to this policy.
AS DEFINED BY TN CODE ANNOTATED § 49-6-1015:
as
any act that substantially interferes with a
student’s educational benefits,
opportunities, or performance
• If the act takes place
the act has the effect of
– Harming a student or damaging his property; or
– Placing a student in fear of harm to himself or
damage to his property; or
– Causing emotional distress to a student; or
– Creating a hostile educational environment; or
• If the act takes place
,
the act
–Is directed at a specific student or
students; and
–Has the effect of creating a hostile
educational environment; or
–Creates a substantial disruption to the
education environment or learning
processes
means bullying
undertaken through the use of electronic
devices
include, but are not
limited to, telephones, cellular phones or
other wireless telecommunication devices,
personal digital assistants (PDAs),
computers, electronic mail, instant
messaging, text messaging, and web sites.
• Tenn. Code Ann. § 49-2-120 defines
means any intentional or
reckless act in this state, on or off LEA
property, by one (1) student acting alone
or with others, that is directed against
another student, that endangers the
mental or physical health or safety of that
student or that induces or coerces a
student to endanger that student’s
mental or physical health or safety.
Is this law really necessary?
•
•
•
•
•
According to ABC News 20/20 online,
every day 160,000 kids across the
country miss school because of bullying.
Bullying is not just limited to physical abuse and teasing.
Social sites such as Facebook, Myspace, and texting are the
new battlefields for bullying.
• One out of three teens have been threatened over the
Internet.
• More than one fourth of young people have experienced
bullying through some form of technology.
• More than 50% of adolescents do not divulge cyber
bullying to their parents or guardians.
• A statement prohibiting harassment,
intimidation, bullying, or cyberbullying
(HIBC).
• A definition of HIBC.
• A description of the behavior expected
from each student.
• A statement of the consequences &
appropriate remedial action for a
person who commits HIBC.
• A procedure for reporting an act of
HIBC anonymously.
• A procedure for prompt investigation
of a report of HIBC.
• A statement of how the school district
shall respond after an act of HIBC.
• A statement of the consequences &
appropriate remedial action for a
person found to have committed HIBC.
• A statement prohibiting reprisal or retaliation
against a person who reports HIBC.
• A statement of consequences for someone
who falsely accuses another of HIBC.
• How the policy will be publicized.
• Job titles of school officials responsible for
seeing that the policy is implemented.
• A procedure for discouraging & reporting
conduct aimed at defining a student in a
sexual manner or ID conduct impugning the
character of a student.
The board will be liable if
School officials knew or should have known of the
bullying; and failed to exercise reasonable care to
prevent it.
The board will be
liable if…The harassment is based upon the victim’s
race, color, national origin, sex, or disability status;
The harassment interferes with an educational
opportunity; and
school officials were
deliberately indifferent
to the harassment.
• SET THE DATE & TIME.
• WHAT IS THE PLAN FOR MTG. #2?
• REVIEW THE BOARD POLICY TO BE
PRESENTED TO THE BOARD FOR
REVIEW AND/OR APPROVAL
• DETERMINE SCHOOL PROCESS FOR
HANDLING COMPLAINTS
THANK YOU FOR AGREEING TO
SERVE ON THIS COMMITTEE!
OUR NEXT MEETING WILL BE:
____Feb. 1st, 10:00 am_____