119-hr1810

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1810 Introduced in House

    (IH) ]

<DOC>

119th CONGRESS
 1st Session
 H. R. 1810

 To address and take action to prevent bullying and harassment of 
 students.

_______________________________________________________________________

 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

 March 3, 2025

Ms. Sanchez (for herself, Mr. Takano, Mr. Beyer, Mr. Mrvan, Mrs. Watson 
 Coleman, Mr. Mullin, Ms. Moore of Wisconsin, Ms. Garcia of Texas, Ms. 
DelBene, Mr. Peters, Ms. Scanlon, Ms. Lee of Pennsylvania, Mr. Davis of 
 Illinois, Mr. Lynch, Ms. Tokuda, Ms. Sewell, Mr. Torres of New York, 
 Mr. Costa, Ms. Norton, Mr. Casten, Ms. Matsui, Mrs. Ramirez, Mr. 
Espaillat, Ms. Clarke of New York, Mr. Pocan, Mrs. McBath, Mr. Boyle of 
 Pennsylvania, Ms. Schakowsky, Mr. Casar, Mr. Vargas, Mr. Moulton, Ms. 
 Craig, Ms. Pingree, Ms. Bonamici, Mr. Garcia of California, Ms. 
 Wasserman Schultz, Mr. Johnson of Georgia, Mr. Krishnamoorthi, Ms. 
 Brownley, Ms. Barragan, Mr. Sherman, Mr. Carter of Louisiana, Mrs. 
 Torres of California, Ms. Chu, Ms. Strickland, Mr. Keating, Mr. Evans 
 of Pennsylvania, Ms. Davids of Kansas, Mr. Garcia of Illinois, Mrs. 
Fletcher, Ms. DeGette, Ms. Titus, Mr. Cisneros, Mr. Amo, Mr. Frost, Mr. 
 Quigley, Ms. Crockett, Mr. Panetta, Mr. Huffman, Mr. Mfume, Mr. 
 Grijalva, Mr. Connolly, Ms. Castor of Florida, Ms. Friedman, Mr. 
 Swalwell, Mr. Ruiz, Ms. Omar, Mrs. Cherfilus-McCormick, Mr. Carbajal, 
Ms. Jacobs, Mr. Garamendi, Mr. Gomez, and Mr. Sorensen) introduced the 
 following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Education and 
 Workforce

_______________________________________________________________________

 A BILL

 To address and take action to prevent bullying and harassment of 
 students.

 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

 This Act may be cited as the ``Safe Schools Improvement Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

 Congress finds the following:

    (1) Bullying and harassment foster a climate of fear and 
 disrespect that can seriously impair the physical and 
 psychological health of its victims and create conditions that 
 negatively affect learning, thereby undermining the ability of 
 students to achieve their full potential.

    (2) Bullying and harassment contribute to high dropout 
 rates, increased absenteeism, and academic underachievement.

    (3) Bullying and harassment include a range of behaviors 
 that negatively impact a student's ability to learn and 
 participate in educational opportunities and activities that 
 schools offer. Such behaviors can include hitting or punching, 
 name-calling, intimidation through gestures or social 
 exclusion, and sending insulting or offensive messages through 
 electronic communications, such as internet sites, e-mail, 
 instant messaging, mobile phones and messaging, telephone, or 
 any other means.

    (4) Schools with enumerated anti-bullying and harassment 
 policies have an increased level of reporting and teacher 
 intervention in incidents of bullying and harassment, thereby 
 reducing the overall frequency and number of such incidents.

    (5) Students have been particularly singled out for 
 bullying and harassment on the basis of their actual or 
 perceived race, color, national origin, sex, disability status, 
 sexual orientation, gender identity, sex characteristics 
 (including intersex traits), or religion, among other 
 categories.

    (6) Some young people experience a form of bullying called 
 relational aggression or psychological bullying, which harms 
 individuals by damaging, threatening, or manipulating their 
 relationships with their peers, or by injuring their feelings 
 of social acceptance.

    (7) Interventions to address bullying and harassment should 
 incorporate evidence-based discipline policies and practices, 
 such as Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports

    (PBIS) and 
 other restorative practices that can minimize suspensions, 
 expulsions, and other exclusionary and harmful discipline 
 policies to ensure that students are not ``pushed-out'' or 
 diverted to the juvenile justice system.

    (8) Perpetrators of bullying and harassment often have a 
 history of trauma or psychological distress, or have been 
 bullied themselves. These students, often discussed as ``bully-
 victims'', require additional trauma-informed interventions and 
 consideration.

SEC. 3. SAFE SCHOOLS IMPROVEMENT.

    (a) In General.--Title IV of the Elementary and Secondary Education 
Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7101 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end 
the following:

 ``PART G--SAFE SCHOOLS IMPROVEMENT

``

SEC. 4701. PURPOSE.

 ``The purpose of this part is to address the problem of bullying 
and harassment conduct of students in public elementary schools and 
secondary schools.

``

SEC. 4702. ANTI-BULLYING POLICIES.

 ``

    (a) Bullying.--In this part, the term `bullying' means conduct 
that adversely affects the ability of one or more students to 
participate in or benefit from the school's educational programs or 
activities by placing a student in fear of harm.
 ``

    (b) Policies.--A State that receives a grant under this title 
shall require all local educational agencies in the State to carry out 
the following:
 ``

    (1) Establish policies that prevent and prohibit conduct, 
 including bullying and harassment, that--
 ``
        (A) limits a student's ability to participate in, 
 or benefit from, a program or activity of a public 
 school or local educational agency; or
 ``
        (B) creates a hostile or abusive educational 
 environment, adversely affecting a student's education, 
 at a program or activity of a public school or local 
 educational agency, including acts of verbal, 
 nonverbal, or physical aggression or intimidation.
 ``

    (2) The policies required under paragraph

    (1) shall 
 include a prohibition of bullying or harassment conduct based 
 on--
 ``
        (A) a student's actual or perceived race, color, 
 national origin, sex (including sexual orientation, 
 gender identity, and sex characteristics (including 
 intersex traits)), disability, or religion;
 ``
        (B) the actual or perceived race, color, national 
 origin, sex (including sexual orientation, gender 
 identity, and sex characteristics (including intersex 
 traits)), disability, or religion of a person with whom 
 a student associates or has associated; or
 ``
            (C) any other distinguishing characteristics that 
 may be defined by the State or local educational 
 agency.
 ``

    (3) Provide--
 ``
        (A) annual notice to students, parents, and 
 educational professionals describing the full range of 
 prohibited conduct contained in such local educational 
 agency's discipline policies; and
 ``
        (B) grievance procedures for students or parents 
 to register complaints regarding the prohibited conduct 
 contained in such local educational agency's discipline 
 policies, including--
 ``
            (i) the name of the local educational 
 agency officials who are designated as 
 responsible for receiving such complaints; and
 ``
            (ii) timelines that the local educational 
 agency will establish in the resolution of such 
 complaints.
 ``

    (4) Collect annual incidence and frequency of incidents 
 data about the conduct prohibited by the policies described in 
 paragraph

    (1) at the school level that are accurate and 
 complete and publicly report such data at the school level and 
 local educational agency level. The local educational agency 
 shall ensure that victims or persons responsible for such 
 conduct are not identifiable.

``

SEC. 4703. STATE REPORTS.

 ``The chief executive officer of a State that receives a grant 
under this title, in cooperation with the State educational agency, 
shall submit a biennial report to the Secretary--
 ``

    (1) on the information reported by local educational 
 agencies in the State pursuant to 

section 4702

    (b)

    (4) ; and
 ``

    (2) describing the State's plans for supporting local 
 educational agency efforts to address the conduct prohibited by 
 the policies described in 

section 4702

    (b)

    (1) .

``

SEC. 4704. EVALUATION.

 ``

    (a) Biennial Evaluation.--The Secretary shall conduct an 
independent biennial evaluation of programs and policies to combat 
bullying and harassment in elementary schools and secondary schools, 
including implementation of the requirements described in 

section 4702, 
including whether such requirements have appreciably reduced the level 
of the prohibited conduct and have conducted effective parent 
involvement and training programs.
 ``

    (b) Data Collection.--The Commissioner for Education Statistics 
shall collect data from States, that are subject to independent review, 
to determine the incidence and frequency of conduct prohibited by the 
policies described in 

section 4702.
 ``
            (c) Biennial Report.--Not later than January 1, 2026, and every 2 
years thereafter, the Secretary shall submit to the President and 
Congress a report on the findings of the evaluation conducted under 
subsection

    (a) together with the data collected under subsection

    (b) and data submitted by the States under 

section 4703.

``

SEC. 4705. EFFECT ON OTHER LAWS.

 ``

    (a) Federal and State Nondiscrimination Laws.--Nothing in this 
part shall be construed to invalidate or limit rights, remedies, 
procedures, or legal standards available to victims of discrimination 
under any other Federal law or law of a State or political subdivision 
of a State, including title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (42 
U.S.C. 2000d et seq.), title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 (20 
U.S.C. 1681 et seq.), 

section 504 or 505 of the Rehabilitation Act of 
1973 (29 U.S.C. 794, 794a), or the Americans with Disabilities Act of 
1990 (42 U.S.C. 12101 et seq.). The obligations imposed by this part 
are in addition to those imposed by title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 
1964 (42 U.S.C. 2000d et seq.), title IX of the Education Amendments of 
1972 (20 U.S.C. 1681 et seq.), 

section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 
1973 (29 U.S.C. 794), and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 
(42 U.S.C. 12101 et seq.).
 ``

    (b) Free Speech and Expression Laws.--Nothing in this part shall 
be construed to alter legal standards regarding, or affect the rights 
(including remedies and procedures) available to individuals under, 
other Federal laws that establish protections for freedom of speech or 
expression.

``

SEC. 4706. RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.

 ``Nothing in this part shall be construed to prohibit a State or 
local entity from enacting any law with respect to the prevention of 
bullying or harassment of students that is not inconsistent with this 
part.''.

    (b) Table of Contents.--The table of contents in 

section 2 of the 
Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 is amended by inserting 
after the item relating to 

section 4644 the following:

 ``Part G--Safe Schools Improvement

``

Sec. 4701. Purpose.
``

Sec. 4702. Anti-bullying policies.
``

Sec. 4703. State reports.
``

Sec. 4704. Evaluation.
``

Sec. 4705. Effect on other laws.
``

Sec. 4706. Rule of construction.''.
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