LAW WITHOUT
GOVERNOR'S CHAPTER
SIGNATURE
471
JULY 15, 2021 PUBLIC LAW
STATE OF MAINE
_____
IN THE YEAR OF OUR LORD
TWO THOUSAND TWENTY-ONE
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S.P. 294 - L.D. 880
An Act To Protect School Employees from Workplace Bullying
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1. 20-A MRSA §1001, sub-§21 is enacted to read:
21. Workplace bullying. A school board shall adopt and implement a policy to
address the negative effects of bullying of school employees by administrators, school
employees, parents, students or any other individuals associated with the public school and
to ensure the safety of employees and an inclusive environment for all employees and
students in the public school. The policy must include, but is not limited to:
A. A provision identifying the responsibility of all school employees to comply with
the policy;
B. A clear statement that bullying, harassment and retaliation for reporting such
behavior are prohibited;
C. A provision outlining the responsibility of a superintendent to implement and
enforce the policy;
D. A procedure for school employees to report incidents of bullying;
E. A procedure for promptly investigating and responding to incidents of bullying,
including written documentation of reported incidents; and
F. A statement that any rights under the policy do not exclude access to or limit any
other right or remedy under the law.
If an affected school employee is covered by a collective bargaining agreement, the policy
under this subsection is subject to the dispute resolution process of the collective bargaining
agreement.
For the purposes of this subsection, "bullying" includes cyberbullying as defined in section
6554, subsection 2, paragraph C.
Sec. 2. Reimbursement. The Department of Education shall develop a process to
provide reimbursement to school administrative units for 90% of the cost of adopting and
implementing a policy to address the bullying of school employees.
Page 1 - 130LR1015(03)
 Sec. 3. Appropriations and allocations. The following appropriations and
allocations are made.
EDUCATION, DEPARTMENT OF
State Mandate Reimbursement - Workplace Bullying N398
Initiative: Provides one-time funds to reimburse local school administrative units for 90%
of the cost of adopting and implementing a policy to address the bullying of school
employees.
GENERAL FUND 2021-22 2022-23
All Other $26,308 $0
__________ __________
GENERAL FUND TOTAL $26,308 $0
Page 2 - 130LR1015(03)


Statutes affected:
Bill Text LD 880, SP 294: 20-A.6554