This bill mandates that school boards develop and implement written policies prohibiting bullying and cyberbullying by January 1, 2026. The policies must include definitions from existing law and outline specific components to address these issues. Additionally, the bill requires every school receiving state funding to report substantiated incidents of bullying, cyberbullying, or targeted acts against protected classes at the end of each semester, rather than annually as previously stated. The reports must comply with privacy regulations and will be facilitated by a form developed by the Department of Education, which will also maintain and aggregate these records.

Furthermore, the Department of Education is tasked with preparing an annual report detailing the incidents of bullying and cyberbullying, which will be submitted to various legislative leaders and the attorney general's office of civil rights. The bill also stipulates that the department will publish a public database of the aggregated data organized by school, enhancing transparency and accountability. The act is set to take effect on July 1, 2025.

Statutes affected:
Introduced: 193-F:6
HB673 text: 193-F:6