The Dignity for All Students Act

The Dignity for All Students Act was enacted in 2010 to protect New York State’s public school students from harassment and bullying. The NYCLU is working hard to ensure that the Dignity Act fulfills its mission when the new law takes effect in 2012. We welcome your help.

The NYCLU is participating on a statewide Task Force that the State Education Department established to help local school districts successfully implement the new law. The Task Force is composed of a range of stakeholders, including teachers, students, parents, school administrators, advocates and state and local education officials.

The Task Force is divided into four working groups that will develop its recommendations: The state policy group will develop commissioner’s regulations for the new law. The local policy group will develop model policies and code of conduct language for local school boards and districts. The professional development group will focus on training teachers and other school staff, and the curriculum group will recommend curriculum and classroom materials for students.

The Dignity Act takes full effect in July 2012. School administrators and teachers will be receiving materials from the state education department very soon on how to successfully implement the law. We will also be holding regional forums to hear your concerns. Check back here, or at www.p12.nysed.gov/dignityact for updates.
 

Want to help? Here are some resources to get you started:

• What is the Dignity for All Students Act? (PDF)
• Guidelines for Addressing Bullying & Bias-Based Harassment on Campus (PDF)
• The NYCLU’s PowerPoint presentation from the City of Buffalo’s Anti-Bullying Summit (January 2011), downloadable either as a PDF or a PowerPoint Presentation.
• The New York State Education Department's Dignity Act website.