NY Educ L § 13 (2021)
2021 New York Laws EDN - Education Title 1 - General Provisions Article 2 - Dignity for All Students 13 - Policies and Guidelines.

§ 13. Policies and guidelines. The board of education and the trustees   or  sole  trustee  of  every  school  district  shall  create  policies,   procedures and guidelines that shall include, but not be limited to:1. Policies and procedures intended to  create  a  school  environment   that  is free from harassment, bullying and discrimination, that include   but are not limited to provisions which:a. identify  the  principal,  superintendent  or  the  principal's  or   superintendent's  designee as the school employee charged with receiving   reports of harassment, bullying and discrimination;b. enable students and parents to make an oral or  written  report  of   harassment,  bullying  or discrimination to teachers, administrators and   other school personnel that the school district deems appropriate;c. require  school  employees  who  witness  harassment,  bullying  or   discrimination,  or  receive  an  oral  or written report of harassment,   bullying or discrimination, to promptly  orally  notify  the  principal,   superintendent or the principal's or superintendent's designee not later   than  one  school day after such school employee witnesses or receives a   report of harassment, bullying or discrimination, and to file a  written   report   with   the   principal,  superintendent  or  the  principal  or   superintendent's designee not later than two school  days  after  making   such oral report;d.  require  the  principal,  superintendent  or  the  principal's  or   superintendent's  designee   to   lead   or   supervise   the   thorough   investigation of all reports of harassment, bullying and discrimination,   and  to  ensure  that  such  investigation  is  completed promptly after   receipt of any written reports made under this section;e. require the school, when an investigation reveals any such verified   harassment,  bullying  or  discrimination,  to   take   prompt   actions   reasonably calculated to end the harassment, bullying or discrimination,   eliminate any hostile environment, create a more positive school culture   and  climate,  prevent recurrence of the behavior, and ensure the safety   of the student or students against whom  such  harassment,  bullying  or   discrimination  was  directed. Such actions shall be consistent with the   guidelines created pursuant to subdivision four of this section;f. prohibit retaliation against any individual  who,  in  good  faith,   reports,  or  assists  in  the investigation of, harassment, bullying or   discrimination;g. include a school  strategy  to  prevent  harassment,  bullying  and   discrimination;h.  require  the principal to make a regular report on data and trends   related   to   harassment,   bullying   and   discrimination   to    the   superintendent;i.  require  the  principal,  superintendent  or  the  principal's  or   superintendent's designee, to notify promptly the appropriate local  law   enforcement   agency   when   such   principal,  superintendent  or  the   principal's or superintendent's designee, believes that any  harassment,   bullying or discrimination constitutes criminal conduct;j.  include  appropriate  references  to  the provisions of the school   district's code of conduct  adopted  pursuant  to  section  twenty-eight   hundred  one  of  this chapter that are relevant to harassment, bullying   and discrimination;k. require each school, at least once  during  each  school  year,  to   provide  all  school  employees,  students and parents with a written or   electronic copy of the school district's policies  created  pursuant  to   this   section,   or   a   plain-language   summary  thereof,  including   notification of the  process  by  which  students,  parents  and  school   employees  may  report  harassment,  bullying  and  discrimination. This   subdivision shall not be construed to require additional distribution of    such policies and guidelines if they are otherwise distributed to school   employees, students and parents;l. maintain current versions of the school district's policies created   pursuant  to  this section on the school district's internet website, if   one exists;2. Guidelines to be used in school training programs to discourage the   development of harassment, bullying  and  discrimination,  and  to  make   school   employees   aware  of  the  effects  of  harassment,  bullying,   cyberbullying and discrimination on students and that are designed:a. to raise the awareness  and  sensitivity  of  school  employees  to   potential harassment, bullying and discrimination, andb.  to enable employees to prevent and respond to harassment, bullying   and discrimination; and3.  Guidelines  relating  to  the  development  of   nondiscriminatory   instructional  and  counseling  methods, and requiring that at least one   staff member at every school  be  thoroughly  trained  to  handle  human   relations  in  the areas of race, color, weight, national origin, ethnic   group, religion, religious  practice,  disability,  sexual  orientation,   gender, and sex; and4.  Guidelines  relating  to the development of measured, balanced and   age-appropriate  responses  to  instances  of  harassment,  bullying  or   discrimination  by  students,  with  remedies and procedures following a   progressive model that make appropriate use of intervention,  discipline   and  education,  vary in method according to the nature of the behavior,   the developmental age of  the  student  and  the  student's  history  of   problem  behaviors,  and  are  consistent  with  the  district's code of   conduct; and5. Training required by this section shall address the social patterns   of harassment, bullying and discrimination, as defined in section eleven   of this article, including but not limited to  those  acts  based  on  a   person's  actual  or  perceived  race,  color,  weight, national origin,   ethnic  group,  religion,   religious   practice,   disability,   sexual   orientation,  gender  or  sex,  the  identification  and  mitigation  of   harassment, bullying and discrimination, and strategies for  effectively   addressing  problems  of  exclusion,  bias and aggression in educational   settings.