In August 2010, the U.S. Departments of Education and Health and Human Services co-hosted the first Federal Partners in Bullying Prevention Summit. This summit highlighted the need for complete information on 1) the current status of state bullying legislation and 2) how existing bullying laws and policies translate into practice within school districts and local schools. This report addresses the first question.
The review of legislation and policies is based on a framework conceptualized by the U.S. Department of Education (“the Department”). In December 2010, in response to several requests for technical assistance surrounding the drafting of anti-bullying laws and policies, the Department released a guidance document titled “Anti-Bullying Policies: Examples of Provisions in State Laws.” The document identified key policy components present in state anti-bullying statutes as of the end of 2010.