Federal Guidance on School Bullying

The U.S. Department of Education has published a guidance document (a "dear colleague letter") on school bullying. The letter explains the full scope of anti-discrimination protections and uses hypothetical examples (with elements taken from real cases) to offer advice to schools. The letter's focus on anti-gay bullying is particularly noteworthy, as it comes after a recent series of suicides related to ant-gay bullying.

Please read the recent NEPC "legislative policy brief" concerning school environment and safety issues regarding LGBT youth, which offers concrete policy recommendations and model code language for states.