Indiana schools would track bullying and other abusive behavior

Public schools would track bullying and other abusive behavior, check support for affected students, and plan responses. These duties cover public schools, including charter schools, and behavior involving affected students and accused students. A parent may complain if the school fails to meet these duties. A student may complain instead if legally independent while still a minor. Each school must have a way to resolve these complaints. These duties would take effect July 1, 2026, if the bill became law.

School districts and charter schools would track incidents, find patterns, and put targeted steps in place to prevent bullying and abuse. The rules cover every Indiana school district and charter school and their reports of affected and accused students. Yearly reports must describe the incidents and the steps schools took without identifying any person. The state education board would advise the districts and charter schools with the most frequent incidents. The rules would take effect July 1, 2026. Reports would be due by July 1, 2027, and each year after. Board recommendations would be due by August 1, 2027, and each year after.

The proposed definition would cover repeated, unwanted conduct, including online messages and physical acts. The definition covers conduct by school staff, a student, or a group of students against another student. The conduct must be meant to mistreat the student and create a hostile school setting that causes reasonable fear of harm to the student or their property, serious harm to health, or major disruption to learning or school activities. Religious events, emergency acts to prevent serious harm, protected speech, adult-supervised nonprofit or government programs, activities directed by a parent in writing beforehand, and travel between places outside Indiana are excluded. The proposed definition would take effect July 1, 2026, if the bill became law.

The child services department could share abuse or neglect records without hiding details with a school's designated contact. The access rule covers a contact designated by the school whose staff reported the case. School staff must have reported the alleged abuse or neglect. While attending school, the child must face a risk of self-harm, harming a peer, or being harmed by a peer. Federal law must allow the disclosure. This access rule would take effect July 1, 2026, if the bill became law.