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A8114Assembly2017-2018 SessionSame asS9074

Require Schools Report Bullying

Official title

“Relates to enacting Jacobe's Law”

Sponsor Patricia FahyAD-109+31 co-sponsorsAffects Legal
Status
In Assembly Committee
Codes
Impact
5/10
Moderate
Passage
0%

Bill progress

Step 2 of 7

In committee · Codes

What's happening

Jacobe's Law requires school employees to investigate, document, and notify parents about verified incidents of student harassment, bullying, or discrimination, considering student safety concerns.

Why it matters

  1. Increases school accountability. By requiring school employees to investigate, document, and notify parents about verified incidents, the law expands school responsibility for actively addressing harassment, bullying, and discrimination, making it harder for schools to ignore or downplay such incidents.

  2. Centers student safety and voice. The law mandates that school professionals must discuss health, safety, and privacy concerns with affected students before contacting parents. This recognizes that, in some cases, notifying parents could put students at further risk or violate their privacy, especially in sensitive situations.

  3. Establishes professional discretion. School counselors, social workers, psychologists, nurses, principals, or assistant principals are empowered to use their professional judgment in deciding whether parent notification is in the student’s best interest if the student raises safety or privacy concerns. This adds a layer of protection for vulnerable students.

  4. Strengthens protections for reporters. The bill expands legal immunity to those who report or participate in proceedings related to harassment, bullying, or discrimination, including under the new reporting procedures. This aims to reduce fear of retaliation and encourage more proactive intervention by school staff or witnesses.

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Who cares

Headline styles

Require Schools Report Bullying

Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.

Sponsors

Primary sponsor
Patricia Fahy

Assembly Member · Assembly District 109

History

  1. Print number 8114e
  2. Amend and recommit to codes
  3. Reference changed to codes
  4. Print number 8114d
  5. Amend and recommit to education
  6. Print number 8114c
  7. Amend and recommit to education
  8. Referred to education
  9. Print number 8114b
  10. Amend and recommit to education
  11. Print number 8114a
  12. Amend and recommit to education
Show 1 earlier action
  1. Referred to education

Companion bill

The same bill in the other chamber. A bill becomes law when one version passes both houses and the governor signs it, so either number can carry it.

S9074Senate

Notify Parents of Bullying

In Assembly Committee · Codes · Sponsor James Tedisco

Impact 6 · Moderate0% to pass

Full text

2 pagesUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗

STATE OF NEW YORK

8114--E

2017-2018 Regular Sessions

IN ASSEMBLY

May 30, 2017

Introduced by M. of A. FAHY, SANTABARBARA, WOERNER, STECK, JENNE, THIELE, RA, PALMESANO, ENGLEBRIGHT, LAVINE, McDONOUGH, FITZPATRICK, JAFFEE, WALLACE, GIGLIO, SIMON, CROUCH, GALEF, NORRIS, ARROYO, FERNAN- DEZ, TAYLOR, COLTON, DICKENS, JEAN-PIERRE, D'URSO,… Show all

Introduced by M. of A. FAHY, SANTABARBARA, WOERNER, STECK, JENNE, THIELE, RA, PALMESANO, ENGLEBRIGHT, LAVINE, McDONOUGH, FITZPATRICK, JAFFEE, WALLACE, GIGLIO, SIMON, CROUCH, GALEF, NORRIS, ARROYO, FERNAN- DEZ, TAYLOR, COLTON, DICKENS, JEAN-PIERRE, D'URSO, WEPRIN, LAWRENCE -- Multi-Sponsored by -- M. of A. McDONALD, STEC, WALSH -- read once and referred to the Committee on Education -- committee discharged, bill amended, ordered reprinted as amended and recommitted to said committee -- again reported from said committee with amendments, ordered reprinted as amended and recommitted to said committee -- recommitted to the Committee on Education in accordance with Assembly Rule 3, sec.

2 -- committee discharged, bill amended, ordered reprinted as amended and recommitted to said committee -- again reported from said committee with amendments, ordered reprinted as amended and recommitted to said committee -- reference changed to the Committee on Codes -committee discharged, bill amended, ordered reprinted as amended and recommitted to said committee

AN ACT to amend the education law, in relation to enacting "Jacobe's law"

The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:

Section 1. This act shall be known and may be cited as "Jacobe's law".

§ 2. The education law is amended by adding a new section 15-a to read as follows:

§ 15-a. Reporting by school employees. 1. School employees, as defined in subdivision four of this section, shall investigate and verify, in accordance with the provisions of this article, that a reported incident of harassment, bullying or discrimination has occurred.

2. Upon a verified incident of harassment, bullying or discrimination, a licensed or certified school counselor, school social worker, school psychologist, school nurse, principal or assistant principal shall discuss with each student involved in the incident whether he or she has

EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets

[ ] is old law to be omitted.

LBD03008-19-8

A. 8114--E 2

any health, safety or privacy concerns with the school employee making a reasonable and good faith effort to contact their parent or person in parental relation. Any discussions shall be immediately documented by such school counselor, school social worker, school psychologist, school nurse, principal or assistant principal.

3. If a student does not express a health, safety or privacy concern, the school employee shall make a reasonable and good faith effort to contact the parent or person in parental relation of the students involved in the incident by telephone, email, mail or other means to discuss the incident and ways to effectively address the situation. If a student does express a health, safety or privacy concern, such school counselor, school social worker, school psychologist, school nurse, principal or assistant principal shall determine, using their professional judgement, if contacting a student's parent or person in parental relation would be in the best interest of the student.

4. As used in this section "school employee" shall mean the principal, superintendent or the principal's or superintendent's designee who is charged with receiving reports of harassment, bullying and discrimination in accordance with paragraph a of subdivision one of section thirteen of this article.

§ 3. Section 16 of the education law, as amended by chapter 102 of the laws of 2012, is amended to read as follows:

§ 16. Protection of people who report harassment, bullying or discrimination. Any person having reasonable cause to suspect that a student has been subjected to harassment, bullying or discrimination, by an employee or student, on school grounds or at a school function, who, acting reasonably and in good faith, reports such information to school officials, to the commissioner or to law enforcement authorities, acts in compliance with paragraph e or i of subdivision one of section thirteen of this article or with section fifteen-a of this article, or otherwise initiates, testifies, participates or assists in any formal or informal proceedings under this article, shall have immunity from any civil liability that may arise from the making of such report or from initiating, testifying, participating or assisting in such formal or informal proceedings, and no school district or employee shall take, request or cause a retaliatory action against any such person who, acting reasonably and in good faith, either makes such a report or initiates, testifies, participates or assists in such formal or informal proceedings.

§ 4. This act shall take effect immediately.

Reflowed for reading: line numbers and page breaks removed. Cite the official text.

Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.