Bullying and Harassment Resources

In May, 2010, the Massachusetts legislature passed anti-bullying legislation which took effect immediately. The following are links to resources on this topic.

• ChapterCCMassachusetts anti-bullying statute, Chapter 71 Section 37O.
• Massachusetts statute that includes information on what must be in the IEP and what teams must address, Chapter 71B Section 3
• Chapter 92 - An Act Relative to Bullying in Schools. Signed by the Governor on May 3, 2010.
• Massachusetts Regulations only cover notification of bullying and deadlines.  They address a principal's duties, namely, notification to parents or guardians of the target and the aggressor of bullying or retaliation and the action taken to prevent further bullying, and notification to law enforcement of bullying or retaliation, when the aggressor's conduct may result in criminal charges.
• MA DESE Page of Information and resources on Bullying
• MA DESE Technical Assistance Advisory SPED 2011-2: Bullying Prevention and Intervention,  and the companion resource Bullying and Prevention Resources Addressing the Needs of Students With Disabilities in the IEP and in School Bullying and Intervention Efforts
• MA DESE Model Bullying Prevention and Intervention Plan
• US DOE Office for Civil Rights (OCR) Dear Colleague Letter of Oct 26, 2010 on Bullying and harassment.  The letter states that when harassment is based on race, color, national origin, disability or gender, it violates the laws that OCR enforces.  The letter further states, "Harassment does not have to include intent to harm, be directed at a specific target, or involve repeated incidents. Harassment creates a hostile environment when the conduct is sufficiently severe, pervasive, or persistent so as to interfere with or limit a student’s ability to participate in or benefit from the services, activities, or opportunities offered by a school."  Schools are responsible to take action about bullying they know about or should have known about.
• US DOE OCR Fact Sheet on the Oct 26, 2010 Dear Colleague Letter
• Wrightslaw information on bullying and harassment with links to information on cyber bullying and a new web page by the US DOE.
• Massachusetts Trial Court Law Library Includes links to Massachusetts laws and regulations addressing bullying as well as a variety  of other resources.