Arizona Anti-Bullying Required School Policies

What are the required policies that Arizona public and charter schools must create to protect students from bullying?

State regulations and laws here in Arizona state that schools must develop policies and procedures to protect students and stop bullying within that environment. 

So, let’s first talk about what those policies must entail. The first part is that there must be confidentiality when reporting alleged bullying. A parent, a guardian, a student, or another student who witnesses it, staff, or anyone in that environment can report bullying incidents, and the school must keep that confidential.

What is Bullying?

What is bullying? The State Board of Education has defined bullying as when a student is repeatedly exposed to hostile action on the part of one or more students over time.

These students intend to harm the student they’re doing the alleged bullying, and that person must be seeking power or control over the victim. So, that’s kind of how they define bullying. It must be repeated over a period, and there must be an intent to harm. And the schools must act.

Anti-Bullying Policy in Schools

So, the policies you can find for each school district are usually in the student and parent handbooks. Again, we had discussed that there must be confidentiality upon reporting, and then the school must act and comply with the procedures they have in place.

School’s Extra Policies on Physical Bullying

Sometimes, this means separating the students and checking in with the student who is the alleged victim of the bullying.

Also, there are different types of bullying. But if we’re talking about physical bullying, such as assault on a student, there will be additional policies. The school may be mandated reporters, and they are required to report that student to legal authorities.

Parents also must be notified if their student is the alleged victim of bullying. And then also, as I said, safeguards must be in place to stop that. The school does have to create these policies and procedures, and they also must implement them.

Seek Legal Counsel

It means that these aren’t just words on a page. The school must comply; parents and guardians have many legal rights and remedies if they don’t. You can reach out to the school and communicate your concerns.

But, if you feel like you’re not being heard, you can get an attorney involved, such as myself. I’ve represented parents, guardians, and students before schools who are victims of bullying.

Right to File a Complaint

If the school still is not complying and you feel like it falls on deaf ears, parents have the right to file a complaint with the State Board of Education alleging that the school is not complying with their policies. Bullying is a severe issue, and it has a lot of repercussions for those students who are victims of bullying.

Schools must create these policies and procedures. They must implement them and must comply with them. It must be confidential, the school must notify parents, and they must report any physical altercation to the legal entities they are mandated to report with.

Arizona recognizes the seriousness of bullying and has established laws to address the problem. The first law was enacted in 2006, requiring all schools to have policies to deal with bullying. The second law was enacted in 2009 and expanded the definition of bullying to include cyberbullying. It also required schools to report bullying incidents to the Arizona Department of Education.

The 2009 law also created the Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools within the Arizona Department of Education. The office is responsible for providing school support and resources on bullying prevention. It also investigates complaints of bullying and enforces the state’s anti-bullying laws.

School Bullying Issues

Today, multiple issues affect students’ motivation when it comes to schooling. Bullying is one of the main challenges and is highlighted as a leading cause of school absenteeism. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention statistics, 18.2% of Arizona high school students were bullied in 2019.

From the above data, it’s clear that Grand Canyon State is struggling to keep its students safe. Everything is made worse by the Biennial Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System, which indicates that 13.4% of Arizona youths were cyberbullying victims in 2019. The most unfortunate aspect is that such bullying happened on the school property.

Arizona Cyberbullying Student Protections

What are the protections for students regarding cyberbullying?

Cyberbullying is more difficult in ways of protection because there needs to be a consideration of where it happened. If the bullying occurred on school property, on school premises, or outside of school; if the cyberbullying occurred on school property, at a school event, on a school computer, or anything having to do with school property or involvement in the school, the students are on the premises.

If they’re using the school’s network or computer, the anti-bullying policy mandated by state law would consider cyberbullying.

It can be any bullying I’ve discussed in my previous blogs, which you can check out.

Cyberbullying can also be a little bit more challenging to define. A lot of times, it’s going to be more social or emotional. And what I mean by that is cyberbullying can be anything from spreading rumors or sharing embarrassing information.

It can also be harassing as well if the contact is unwanted, it’s repeated over a period, and it’s harmful.

Protection for Harassment Victims

So, what protection is there for those victims?

Arizona has criminal statutes codified that are called harassment. And cyberbullying can rise to the level of harassment.

If that rises to that level, then instead of protection from the school, you would get protection from your local police department. You would report it that way. And then you would turn over any information, and they would conduct their investigation.

Contact Arizona Student Bullying Attorney

Whenever anyone faces a legal matter far beyond their ability to handle on their own, it is time to look at the possibility of hiring a lawyer to help with these matters.

As you can see, student bullying is a severe problem in Arizona school districts. If your child has been the victim of bullying, you should contact an experienced student bullying attorney today. The attorney will review your case and advise you of your legal options. A lawyer can also help you file a complaint with the school and the Arizona Department of Education.

At Chelle Law, we have successfully represented many students who have been the victims of bullying. We will aggressively fight for your child’s rights and ensure they receive the justice they deserve.

Contact us today to schedule a consultation.