Reporting Bullying in Texas Schools

Under Texas Education Code 37.0832, each campus must:

• Establish a committee to address bullying by focusing on prevention efforts and health and wellness initiatives;

• Create an avenue for anonymous reporting of bullying incidents;
• Establish a procedure for providing notice of an incident of bullying to: a parent or guardian of the alleged victim on or before the third business day after the date the incident is reported; and a parent or guardian of the alleged bully within a reasonable amount of time after the incident;
• Include the bullying policy and any adopted procedures each year in the student and employee school district handbooks;
• Post its procedure for reporting bullying on the district's website, to the extent practicable; and
• Collect information annually through student surveys on bullying, including cyberbullying; and use those survey results to develop action plans to address student concerns regarding bullying, including cyberbullying.

Two types of policies guide a Texas school district’s response to bullying.

While these policies are generally similar across the state, each district adopts a local policy that can vary regarding specific timelines, forms of complaint submission, etc. When preparing to submit a formal grievance, review your local district’s policies to be sure you are in compliance.

A local school district's FFI Policy: Student Welfare–Freedom from Bullying policy outlines the district’s procedures for reporting, investigating, and responding to bullying incidents, and includes the disciplinary actions for students who engage in bullying behavior.

A local district's FNG Policy: Student Rights and Responsibilities is for addressing complaints. It provides the process for students and parents to submit formal grievances about concerns that cannot be resolved informally through the school’s local approach to resolution outlined in the FFI policy. It outlines the three levels of formal grievances, generally ascending upon appeal, from the school, to the district, to the school board.