BILL NUMBER: S7719
SPONSOR: SEPULVEDA
 
TITLE OF BILL:
An act to amend the education law, in relation to strengthening
protections against discrimination, harassment, and bullying based on
actual or perceived immigration status, and to improve implementation
and oversight under the Dignity for All Students Act
 
PURPOSE:
To explicitly add immigration status as a protected category under the
Dignity for All Students Act (DASA), and to improve how schools report,
respond to, and prevent harassment, bullying, and discrimination. This
bill ensures that immigrant students and students from mixed-status
families are fully protected from discrimination, harassment, and bully-
ing in New York State schools.
 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:
Section 1: Establishes the short title of the bill as the "End Bullying
and Discrimination in Schools Everywhere" (BEACON) Act.
Section 2: Adds a new Education Law § 9-a stating legislative findings
that highlight inconsistent DASA implementation, and the heightened
risks faced by immigrant and mixed-status students.
Section 3: Amends Education Law § 10 to explicitly include immigration
status and the immigration status of a student's family members as part
of the prohibited conduct addressed under DASA.
Section 4: Amends Education Law § 11 by adding a new subdivision defin-
ing "immigration status," including undocumented and mixed-status family
scenarios.
Section 5: Amends Education Law § 11(7) to add immigration status to the
list of characteristics protected from harassment and bullying under
DASA's definitions.
Section 6: Amends Education Law § 12(1) to prohibit discrimination,
harassment, and bullying based on actual or perceived immigration status
on school property or at school functions.
Section 7: Amends Education Law § 13(3) to require that school personnel
be trained in human relations concerning immigration status and expands
nondiscriminatory instructional and counseling guidelines.
Section 8: Adds a new subdivision § 13(6) requiring each school district
to designate a DASA compliance coordinator or team, review disaggregated
data by protected class including immigration status, and report find-
ings annually to the board of education.
Section 9: Amends Education Law § 14 to add a new subdivision § 14(6),
requiring the Commissioner of Education to develop and disseminate guid-
ance for schools on addressing bullying and discrimination based on
immigration status, including digital harassment and the needs of mixed-
status families.
Section 10: Amends Education Law § 15 to require annual reporting of
material incidents of bullying and discrimination disaggregated by
protected class, including immigration status, and to make such data
publicly available while protecting student privacy.
Section 11: This act shall take effect on the first of July next
succeeding the date on which it shall have become a law.
 
JUSTIFICATION:
The Dignity for All Students Act (DASA) was enacted to protect every
student from harassment, discrimination, and bullying in New York's
public schools. But by failing to explicitly include immigration status
as a protected category, the, law has left a serious and harmful gap.
While "national origin" is listed, that language is too narrow to
capture the reality faced by thousands of students whose immigration
status or that of their family members-subjects them to constant fear,
stigma, and vulnerability. This legal omission weakens enforcement,
leads to inconsistent protections across school districts, and leaves
immigrant students and those from mixed-status families unprotected in
the face of real and rising threats.
Students from immigrant households are frequently targeted with anti-im-
migrant slurs, threats.of deportation, and dehumanizing rhetoric, both
in person and online. These students endure a unique and deeply personal
kind of harassment, often tied directly to their family's right to exist
in this country. A 2024 New York City Department of Education survey
found that 51 percent of students experienced harassment or bullying,
many linked to immigration-related bias. These hostile environments fuel
emotional trauma, academic disengagement, chronic absenteeism, and fear
that extends well beyond the school day. Nationwide research has
confirmed that heightened immigration enforcement correlates with lower
school attendance and worsening mental health outcomes among immigrant
youth.
The BEACON Act directly addresses this crisis with urgent, meaningful
reforms. It explicitly adds immigration status to DASA's list of
protected categories, ensuring that immigrant and mixed-status students
are clearly and fully covered by the law. It strengthens implementation
by requiring districts to collect and report disaggregated incident
data, assign DASA compliance coordinators, and take concrete steps to
create safer, more inclusive environments. It also directs the Commis-
sioner of Education to develop targeted guidance to help schools recog-
nize and respond to immigration-based harassment, including online
threats and abuse.
Other states, including California, have already acted to close this
loophole. The BEACON Act ensures that New York not only catches upLbut
leads. This legislation transforms DASA from a broad promise into a
working safeguard for one of the most at-risk student populations in our
schools. No child in New York should fear walking into a classroom
because of who they are or where their family comes from. The BEACON Act
affirms that safety, dignity, and opportunity are not privileges-they
are rights.
 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
This is a new bill.
 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS FOR STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS:
Minimal. School districts are already required to comply with DASA
training, reporting, and policy implementation requirements. The BEACON
Act builds on this existing framework by clarifying that immigration
status is a protected category and ensuring more consistent enforcement
across districts. The requirements for disaggregated data collection,
designation of a DASA compliance coordinator, and annual reporting can
be incorporated into current administrative procedures with limited
additional cost. The New York State Education Department may incur minor
expenses in developing guidance and model policies, but these are
expected to be absorbed within existing resources.
 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
The act takes effect on July 1 following the date it becomes law. Agen-
cies may begin creating or updating any necessary rules or regulations
right away and can complete that work before the effective date.

Statutes affected:
S7719: 10 education law, 11 education law, 11(7) education law, 12 education law, 12(1) education law, 13 education law, 13(3) education law, 14 education law, 15 education law