1. (1) An LEA governing board shall adopt a bullying, cyber-bullying, hazing, abusive conduct, and retaliation policy.

2. (2) The LEA governing board shall:

   1. (a) develop the policy with input from:

      1. (i) students;
      2. (ii) parents;
      3. (iii) teachers;
      4. (iv) school administrators;
      5. (v) school staff; or
      6. (vi) local law enforcement agencies; and
   2. (b) provide protection to a student, regardless of the student's legal status.

3. (3) The LEA governing board shall include the following components in the policy:

   1. (a) definitions of bullying, cyber-bullying, hazing, abusive conduct, and retaliation that are consistent with this part;
   2. (b) language prohibiting bullying, cyber-bullying, hazing, and abusive conduct;
   3. (c) language prohibiting retaliation as described in Section 53G-9-603;
   4. (d) language prohibiting making a false report of bullying, cyber-bullying, hazing, abusive conduct, or retaliation;
   5. (e) language outlining appropriate punishments for a student who shares a recording of an act of bullying, cyber-bullying, hazing, abusive conduct, and retaliation in order to impact or encourage future incidents;

   6. (f) as required in Section 53G-9-604, a process for parental notification of:

      1. (i) a student's threat of suicide;
      2. (ii) an incident involving the parent's student; and
      3. (iii) implementation of the school's action plan to address the incident;
   7. (g) a grievance process for a school employee who has experienced abusive conduct;
   8. (h) a requirement that the school or LEA create and implement an action plan for each incident in accordance with Section 53G-9-605.5;

   9. (i) a communication process requiring the school or LEA regularly updates each parent of a student involved in an incident regarding implementation of an action plan, including:

      1. (i) the outcome of the school's or LEA's investigation;
      2. (ii) a discussion of safety considerations for the student who is the subject of the incident; and
      3. (iii) an explanation of the school's or LEA's process for addressing the incident; and

   10. (j) a requirement for a signed statement annually, indicating that the individual signing the statement has received the LEA governing board's policy, from each:

       1. (i) school employee;
       2. (ii) student who is at least eight years old; and
       3. (iii) parent of a student enrolled in the LEA.

4. (4) An LEA shall, in relation to the policy described in this section:

   1. (a) include a copy in student conduct handbooks;
   2. (b) include a copy in employee handbooks; and
   3. (c) provide a copy to a parent of a student enrolled in the charter school or school district.
5. (5) A policy may not permit formal disciplinary action that is based solely on an anonymous report of bullying, cyber-bullying, hazing, abusive conduct, or retaliation.
6. (6) Nothing in this part is intended to infringe upon the right of a school employee, parent, or student to exercise the right of free speech.

Amended by Chapter 21, 2024 General Session