October is Bullying Prevention Month. Here is some updated bullying information we originally shared in November 2023.
Mississippi state law requires each local school district to prohibit bullying and harassment and state this in its personnel policies, discipline policies and code of student conduct. The district’s bully prevention policy must include these things (this list is quoted directly from the law):
- Prohibit the bullying of a student;
- Prohibit retaliation against any person, including a victim, a witness, or another person, who in good faith provides information concerning an incident of bullying;
- Establish a procedure for providing notice of an incident of bullying to a parent or guardian of the victim and a parent or guardian of the bully within a reasonable amount of time after the incident;
- Establish the actions a student should take to obtain assistance and intervention in response to bullying;
- Set out the available counseling options for a student who is a victim of or a witness to bullying or who engages in bullying;
- Establish procedures for reporting an incident of bullying, investigating a reported incident of bullying and determining whether the reported incident of bullying occurred;
- Prohibit the imposition of a disciplinary measure on a student who, after an investigation, is found to be a victim of bullying, on the basis of that student’s use of reasonable self-defense in response to the bullying; and
- Require that discipline for bullying of a student with disabilities comply with applicable requirements underfederal law, including the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.
The policies must recognize the fundamental right of every student to take reasonable actions to defend themselves from bullying. The law requires districts to post their procedures for reporting bullying on their websites.
If you’re concerned about bullying and cannot find your district’s bullying reporting procedure on the district’s website, contact the principal at your child’s school to ask about the school’s policy and how school administrators can help your child. You can share this blog or the information in the links to help the principal understand your questions.
If the district’s reporting procedure does not include a form for reporting bullying incidents in writing, the Pacer’s National Bullying Prevention Center provides sample letters that you can use to report bullying incidents. They offer three templates:
- Notifying School About Bullying
- Notifying School About Bullying – Student with an Individualized Education Plan (IEP)
- Notifying School About Bullying – Student with a 504 Plan
The Mississippi Department of Education (MDE) does not have a statewide policy prohibiting bullying; however, it requires each district to develop its own. We believe that students would be better protected from bullying if the MDE developed a statewide policy, held districts accountable for following it, and tracked data regarding the policy’s effectiveness. We urge MDE to consider such a policy.
If you need additional support regarding school bullying prevention policies or how to report bullying, please call us at 601-355-0915 or email us at info@faams.org. If you are a parent with questions about bullying, please call our Parent Concern Line at 601-608-7525.
