1. Waterbury public schools professional development
Conn. Gen. Statute Section d

2. Public Act
Takes comprehensive steps to prevent bullying and ensure every child the right to learn in public school without fear of teasing, humiliation or assault.
Responds to alarming evidence that bullying impedes Connecticut students’ ability to succeed in school.

3. Public Act 11-232 Speeds school response Expands staff training
Makes all school employees mandated reporters of bullying
Addresses cyber-bullying
Launches statewide school climate assessments

4. New Law: Public Act. No. 11-232 AND/OR
DEFINITION OF BULLYING:
Repeated written, oral, or electronic communications by one or more students, such as cyber-bullying, directed at or referring to another student attending school in the same school district
AND/OR
Repeated physical acts or gestures by one or more students that are directed against another student

5. Bullying is a Repeated Action that:
(A) Causes physical or emotional harm to the student or damage to the student's property,
(B) Places the student in reasonable fear of harm to himself or herself, or of damage to his or her property,
(C) Creates a hostile environment at school for such student
(a hostile environment is a situation in which bullying among students is sufficiently severe or pervasive as to alter the conditions of the school climate),

6. Bullying is a Repeated Action that:
(D) infringes on the rights of the student at school, or
(E) substantially disrupts the education process or the orderly operation of a school.

7. Includes, but is not limited to
A written, oral or electronic communication or physical act or gesture based on any actual or perceived differentiating characteristic, such as:
race, color, religion, ancestry, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, socioeconomic status, academic status, physical appearance,
or mental, physical, developmental or sensory disability,
or by association with an individual or group who has or is perceived to have one or more of such characteristics

8. The act expands bullying
Now includes “cyber-bullying”: Acts of bullying carried out through mobile electronic devices or electronic communications, the Internet, interactive and digital technologies, or cell phones.

9. Expands responsibility
The act expands the responsibilities of reporting bullying to many school employees.
It also requires annual training for school employees.

10. defines School employee
"School employee" is anyone who is employed by a local or regional board of education or works in a public school as:
(A) a teacher, substitute teacher, school administrator, school superintendent, guidance counselor, psychologist, social worker, nurse, physician, school paraprofessional or coach employed by a local or regional board of education or working in a public elementary, middle or high school; or

11. defines School employee
(B) any other individual who, in the performance of his or her duties, has regular contact with students and who provides services to or on behalf of students enrolled in a public elementary, middle or high school, pursuant to a contract with the local or regional board of education; and or provides services to or on behalf of students in a public school under a contract with the school board and whose duties involve regular student contact.

12. Expands the location
The location now includes inside and outside of the school setting
at a school-sponsored or school-related activity on or off school grounds;
at a school bus stop;
on a school bus or any other vehicle the school board owns, leases, or uses;
or through an electronic device the school board owns, leases, or uses.

13. Expands the location
…as well as bullying that occurs outside these locations if:
it creates a hostile environment for a student at school,
infringes on a student’s rights at school, or
substantially disrupts the education process or the school’s orderly operation.

14. SAFE SCHOOL CLIMATE PLANS
The law requires each local and regional board of education to develop and implement a policy to address bullying in its schools to be called: “Safe School Climate Plans.”

15. safe school climate plan
Enables students to report complaints to any school employee and
Requires students’ parents/guardians, as well as the students themselves, to be notified every year of the process by which students may make such reports.
If parents/guardians claim bullying, they must be given the complaint form to fill out.

16. safe school climate plan
Assigns investigation responsibility to a safe school climate specialist in the school, who must be either the school’s principal or his or her designee. Our District is using social workers as the school climate specialist in many schools.

17. safe school climate plan
Prohibits retaliation or discrimination against those who report or help investigate bullying,
Addresses what the school will do to protect the targeted student from further bullying, and
Requires a school principal or his or her designee to notify the police when they suspect that an act of bullying constitutes a crime.
Our plan is located at Section of the Board of Education Policies.

18. Safe school climate plan
Each school must maintain a publicly available list of the number of verified bullying incidents.
Each school must establish procedures for schools to document and maintain records of bullying investigations.
Each school must report annually to the CSDE the number of verified bullying incidents at the school.

19. The LAW requires that
A school employee who witnesses bullying or receives a report of bullying to notify either the school climate specialist or, if that person is not available, another school administrator, orally within one school day.
The employee must follow up with a written report within two school days after providing oral notice.

20. The specialist must complete the investigation promptly.
The law requires that
The specialist, rather than any school administrator, investigate, or supervise an investigation of the bullying report.
The specialist must complete the investigation promptly.
The specialist must also review any anonymous reports.