By: Menéndez, et al.	S.B. No. 2050

	A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
	AN ACT
	relating to bullying and cyberbullying in public schools.
	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
	SECTION 1.  Section 37.0832, Education Code, is amended by
	amending Subsection (c) and adding Subsection (c-1) to read as
	follows:
	(c)  The board of trustees of each school district shall
	adopt a policy, including any necessary procedures, concerning
	bullying that:
	(1)  prohibits the bullying of a student;
	(2)  prevents and mediates bullying incidents between
	students that:
	(A)  interfere with a student's educational
	opportunities; or
	(B)  substantially disrupt the orderly operation
	of a classroom, school, or school-sponsored or school-related
	activity;
	(3) [(2)]  prohibits retaliation against any person,
	including a victim, a witness, or another person, who in good faith
	provides information concerning an incident of bullying;
	(4) [(3)]  establishes a procedure for providing
	notice of an incident of bullying to:
	(A)  a parent or guardian of the alleged victim on
	or before the third business day after the date the incident is
	reported; and
	(B)  a parent or guardian of the alleged bully
	within a reasonable amount of time after the incident;
	(5) [(4)]  establishes the actions a student should
	take to obtain assistance and intervention in response to bullying;
	(6) [(5)]  sets out the available counseling options
	for a student who is a victim of or a witness to bullying or who
	engages in bullying;
	(7) [(6)]  establishes procedures for reporting an
	incident of bullying, including procedures for a student to
	anonymously report an incident of bullying, investigating a
	reported incident of bullying, and determining whether the reported
	incident of bullying occurred;
	(8) [(7)]  prohibits the imposition of a disciplinary
	measure on a student who, after an investigation, is found to be a
	victim of bullying, on the basis of that student's use of reasonable
	self-defense in response to the bullying; [and]
	(9) [(8)]  requires that discipline for bullying of a
	student with disabilities comply with applicable requirements
	under federal law, including the Individuals with Disabilities
	Education Act (20 U.S.C. Section 1400 et seq.); and
	(10)  complies with the minimum standards adopted by
	the agency under Subsection (c-1).
	(c-1)  The agency shall adopt minimum standards for a school
	district's policy under Subsection (c). The standards must:
	(1)  include an emphasis on bullying prevention by
	focusing on school climate and building healthy relationships
	between students and staff;
	(2)  require annual bullying prevention training for
	district employees and students;
	(3)  require each district campus to establish a
	committee to address bullying by focusing on prevention efforts and
	health and wellness initiatives;
	(4)  require students at each grade level to meet
	periodically for instruction on building relationships and
	preventing bullying, including cyberbullying;
	(5)  include an emphasis on increasing student
	reporting of bullying incidents to school employees by:
	(A)  increasing awareness about district
	reporting procedures; and
	(B)  providing for anonymous reporting of
	bullying incidents;
	(6)  require districts to:
	(A)  collect information annually through student
	surveys on bullying, including cyberbullying; and
	(B)  use those survey results to develop action
	plans to address student concerns regarding bullying, including
	cyberbullying; and
	(7)  require districts to develop a rubric or checklist
	to assess an incident of bullying and to determine the district's
	response to the incident.
	SECTION 2.  Section 48.009, Education Code, is amended by
	adding Subsection (b-4) to read as follows:
	(b-4)  The commissioner by rule shall require each school
	district and open-enrollment charter school to annually report
	through the Public Education Information Management System the
	number of reported incidents of bullying that have occurred at each
	campus.  The commissioner's rules shall require a district or
	school to specify the number of incidents of bullying that included
	cyberbullying.
	SECTION 3.  Section 37.0832(f), Education Code, is repealed.
	SECTION 4.  This Act applies beginning with the 2021-2022
	school year.
	SECTION 5.  This Act takes effect immediately if it receives
	a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as
	provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution.  If this
	Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this
	Act takes effect September 1, 2021.