Category: Monitoring and Accountability
Subcategory: Data Collection, Review, and Reporting of Discipline Policies and Actions
State: New York
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13. Policies and guidelines.
The board of education and the trustees or sole trustee of every school district shall create policies, procedures and guidelines that shall include, but not be limited to:
1. Policies and procedures intended to create a school environment that is free from harassment, bullying and discrimination, that include but are not limited to provisions which:
h. require the principal to make a regular report on data and trends related to harassment, bullying and discrimination to the superintendent.
15. Reporting by commissioner.
The commissioner shall create a procedure under which material incidents of harassment, bullying and discrimination on school grounds or at a school function are reported to the department at least on an annual basis. Such procedure shall provide that such reports shall, wherever possible, also delineate the specific nature of such incidents of harassment, bullying and discrimination, provided that the commissioner may comply with the requirements of this section through use of the existing uniform violent incident reporting system. In addition the department may conduct research or undertake studies to determine compliance throughout the state with the provisions of this article.
2802. Uniform violent incident reporting system.
5. By April first of each year, the commissioner shall report to the governor, the legislature and the regents concerning the prevalence of violence and disruptive incidents in the public schools, and the effectiveness of school programs undertaken to reduce violence and assure the safety and security of students and school personnel. The report shall summarize the information available from the incident reporting system, and compare the incidence of violent and disruptive incidents of schools and school districts and boards with other schools and school districts and boards based on similarity in size and grade levels and other characteristics, including student need and resources, as determined by the commissioner. The report shall also, to the extent possible, relate the results available from the incident reporting system, together with such other analysis and information as the commissioner determines is appropriate, to the effectiveness of school violence measures undertaken by participating schools and school districts, including the school codes and school safety plans required by sections twenty-eight hundred one and twenty-eight hundred one-a of this article.
3028-b. Notification of teachers' duty to provide information and immunity from liability.
Each school shall annually provide to each teacher and all other school officials a written explanation concerning the reporting of pupil drug abuse, child abuse, and child abuse in an educational setting including the immunity provisions of section three thousand twenty-eight-a of this article and section eleven hundred twenty-six of this chapter and sections four hundred thirteen and four hundred nineteen of the social services law. The commissioner, with the assistance and cooperation of the commissioner of children and family services and the commissioner of criminal justice services, shall furnish each school district with the required information. Such information shall be updated by the commissioner at least once each school year.
100.2 (l)(3). Corporal punishment.
(ii) In every school district and supervisory district, the trustee, trustees, board of education or board of cooperative educational services, shall submit a written semiannual report to the Commissioner of Education by January 15th and July 15th of each year, commencing July 1, 1985, through the 2023-2024 school year, setting forth the substance of each complaint about the use of corporal punishment received by the local school authorities during the reporting period, the results of each investigation, and the action, if any, taken by the school authorities in each case. Beginning with the 2024-2025 school year, the reporting provisions of section 19.5(e) of this Title and paragraph (2) of subdivision (bb) of this section shall apply.
100.2 (bb). Data reporting requirements.
(3) Each school district shall submit the following data at a time and in a format prescribed by the commissioner:
(vi) Violent and disruptive incidents for each school;
(viii) Student out-of-school suspensions for each school.
100.2 (gg). Uniform violent or disruptive incident reporting system.
(2) Recording of offenses.
(i) For purposes of reporting pursuant to this subdivision, each incident shall be reported once in the highest ranking category of offense that applies, except that incidents involving a weapon and one of the offenses listed in clauses (1)(vi)(a) through (f) of this subdivision shall be reported in the highest ranking category of offense that applies as an offense committed with a weapon, and not in weapons possession; and incidents involving drug use, possession or sale and/or alcohol use, possession or sale and another offense shall be reported in the highest ranking category in clauses (1)(vi)(a) through (g) of this subdivision that applies. If the offense involves only the use, possession or sale of drugs or alcohol, it shall be recorded in the applicable category of drug or alcohol use, possession or sale as an incident involving drug or alcohol use, possession or sale only. For purposes of determining the highest ranking offense pursuant to this subparagraph, offenses shall be ranked in the order that they appear in clauses (1)(vi)(a) through (f) of this subdivision, followed by weapons possession, drug use, possession or sale and alcohol use, possession or sale.
(ii) All incidents involving bomb threats or false alarms as defined in clauses (1)(vi)(e) and (f) this subdivision shall be reported. All incidents involving material incidents of harassment, bullying, and/or discrimination as defined in clause (1)(vi)(d) of this subdivision shall be reported.
(3) Submission of report. Each school district, board of cooperative educational services, charter school and county vocational education and extension board shall annually submit its report on violent or disruptive incidents, in the manner prescribed by the commissioner, on or before the basic educational data system (BEDS) reporting deadline or such other date as determined by the commissioner.
(4) Content of report. Each individual violent or disruptive incident report shall be in a form prescribed by the commissioner and shall contain the following information concerning each violent or disruptive incident that occurred in the prior school year:
(i) the number and types of offenders, identified as student, teacher, school safety officer, other school staff, student intruder, visitor, unknown or other;
(ii) if any offender is a student, the age and grade of the student;
(iii) the location at which the incident occurred, including:
(a) the school building in which the incident occurred or whose real property boundary line includes the athletic playing field, playground, parking lot or land on which the incident occurred, and whether the incident occurred in a classroom, laboratory, hall, staircase, gymnasium, locker room or pool, cafeteria, bathroom, auditorium, playground or athletic field or otherwise on school grounds; or
(b) where applicable, that the incident occurred on a school bus; or
(c) where applicable, that the incident occurred at a school function conducted off school grounds.
(iv) the types of incident, identified by category listed in clauses (1)(vi)(a) through (i) of this subdivision;
(v) whether the incident occurred during or outside of regular school hours;
(vi) where the incident involves a weapon, whether the weapon was a firearm, knife or other weapon;
(vii) whether the incident was bias-related, drug-related, or gang or group-related;
(viii) the actions taken by the school in response to the incident, including when the incident was reported to police or other law enforcement officials and whether disciplinary action was taken against the offenders;
(ix) any student discipline or referral action taken against a student/offender, including but not limited to an out-of-school suspension, a teacher removal, an involuntary transfer to an alternative placement, an in-school suspension, a referral for community service, a referral for counseling, or a referral to the juvenile justice system or the criminal justice system, and the duration of such action; and
(x) the number and nature of the victims, identified as a student, teacher, school safety officer, other school staff or other and the victim's age and grade where the victim is a student.
(5) Preparation of report. Each annual violent or disruptive incident report shall be in a form prescribed by the commissioner and shall contain such information as the commissioner shall prescribe, including but not limited to information on the frequency and types of incidents, offenders, victims and student discipline or referral actions taken, as is available on the date the annual report is submitted.
(6) Local procedures. The governing body of each school district, board of cooperative educational services, charter school and county vocational education and extension board shall establish local procedures for the reporting of violent or disruptive incidents by each building and/or program under its jurisdiction. Such procedures shall assure that copies of each violent or disruptive incident report at the building or program level are retained for period prescribed by the commissioner in the applicable records retention schedule, and are available for inspection by the department upon request; provided that a district or board that adopts an electronic reporting system may fulfill such requirement by retaining an electronic record of the information reported at the building or program level.
100.2 (kk). Dignity Act reporting requirements.
(2) Reporting of incidents to the superintendent, principal, or designee.
(i) School employees who witness harassment, bullying, and/or discrimination or receive an oral or written report of harassment, bullying, and/or discrimination shall promptly orally notify the principal, superintendent, or their designee not later than one school day after such employee witnesses or receives a report of harassment, bullying, and/or discrimination, and
(ii) Such school employee shall also file a written report in a manner prescribed by, as applicable, the school district, board of cooperative educational services (BOCES) or charter school with the principal, superintendent, or their designee no later than two school days after making an oral report.
(iii) The principal, superintendent or the principal's or superintendent's designee shall lead or supervise the thorough investigation of all reports of harassment, bullying and/or discrimination, and ensure that such investigation is completed promptly after receipt of any written reports made under Education Law section 13.
(iv) When an investigation verifies a material incident of harassment, bullying, and/or discrimination, the superintendent, principal, or designee shall take prompt action, consistent with the district's code of conduct including but not limited to the provisions of section 100.2(l)(2)(ii)(h), reasonably calculated to end the harassment, bullying, and/or discrimination, eliminate any hostile environment, create a more positive school culture and climate, prevent recurrence of the behavior, and ensure the safety of the student or students against whom such behavior was directed.
(v) The principal, superintendent, or their designee shall notify promptly the appropriate local law enforcement agency when it is believed that any harassment, bullying or discrimination constitutes criminal conduct.
(vi) The principal shall provide a regular report on data and trends related to harassment, bullying, and/or discrimination to the superintendent. For the purpose of this subdivision, the term "regular report" shall mean at least once during each school year, and in a manner prescribed by, as applicable, the school district, BOCES or charter school.
(3) Reporting of material incidents to the commissioner.
(i) For the 2013-2014 school year and for each succeeding school year thereafter, each school district, board of cooperative educational services (BOCES) and charter school shall submit to the commissioner an annual report of material incidents of harassment, bullying, and/or discrimination, that occurred in such school year, in accordance with Education Law section 15 and this subdivision. Such report shall be submitted in a manner prescribed by the commissioner, on or before the basic educational data system (BEDS) reporting deadline or such other date as determined by the commissioner.
(ii) For purposes of reporting pursuant to this subdivision, a school district, BOCES or charter school shall include in its annual report all material incidents of harassment, bullying, and/or discrimination that:
(a) are the result of the investigation of a written or oral complaint made to the superintendent, principal or their designee, or to any other employee; or
(b) are otherwise directly observed by such superintendent, principal or their designee, or by any other employee regardless of whether a complaint is made.
(iii) Such report shall include information describing the specific nature of the incident, including, but not limited to:
(a) the type(s) of bias involved (actual or perceived race, color, weight, national origin, ethnic group, religion, religious practice, disability, sexual orientation, gender, sex, or other). Where multiple types of bias are involved, they shall all be reported;
(b) whether the incident resulted from student and/or employee conduct;
(c) whether the incident involved physical contact and/or threats, intimidation or abuse, including cyberbullying as defined in Education Law section 11(8); and
(d) the location where the incident occurred (on school property or at a school function, or off school property, where applicable).
144.7. School safety grant program.
(d) Supervision and reporting requirements.
(3) Each school district receiving funds under this section shall submit to the department by July 1st of the next following school year a report which shall include, but not be limited to:
(i) a description of the program(s) being funded;
(ii) the number of violent incidents occurring during the grant program for each participating school and the number of such incidents in the prior year; and
(iii) any other relevant information.