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Bullying in Our Schools

How to Report Bullying

Few parents know there’s a law on the books that’s supposed to help them. Administrators often ignore complaints, do not provide bullying reports, and do not inform parents of the law, because they either do not want their school on record as being a bastion of bullying or they are deliberately pushing a political agenda.

Know your rights!
Hold your school accountable!
Use the law for legitimate bullying reports!

The law defines bullying (including cyber-bullying) as:

  • “intimidating, threatening, abusive, or harming conduct that is “objectively offensive;” AND either there is an imbalance of power between the bullying student and the bullied student forming a pattern, OR the bullying “interferes with a student’s educational opportunities, performance, or ability to participate in school functions or activities or receive school benefits, services, or privileges.”
  • Bullying may involve physical harm to a student or a student’s property or cause a student to be in reasonable fear of harm to person or property;
  • Bullying may violate a student’s reasonable expectation of privacy, defame a student, or intentionally inflict emotional distress.
  • All students are protected by the bullying statute, regardless of whether they are of any specially
    protected group.

Who can report bullying?

Anyone with information about bullying may file a bullying report. That person or persons may be students, parents, close adult relatives, school staff members or anyone else who is aware of bullying.

School employees who witness prohibited conduct or possess reliable information that suspects a student is being bullied are required by law to make efforts to address the situation.

How does a person report bullying?

Districts and schools are legally required to have a bullying policy that is posted on the school or district website. It must be conspicuously posted in the schools’ administrative offices and included in the student handbook on school policies. It must be available to all parents and community members. The policy must, by law, define the roles and responsibilities of students, school personnel, and volunteers for bullying reporting and describe the required responses. Training on how to prevent, identify, and respond to bullying must be provided to all school personnel and discussed with students.

A Bullying Report Form is usually available on every school’s website, and it must be available in the school administrative office. Sample Report Form

A school or district must, by law, begin to investigate a bullying report within three school days of the report. Each school or district must, by law, have a designated staff member to receive bullying reports and ensure the policy is being properly implemented.

What if my school ignores my complaint?

If your district or school ignores your complaint, notify the School Safety Technical Assistance Center (SSTAC) by email at MDE.SSTAC@state.mn.us, by phone at 651-582-8364 or by mail:

School Safety Technical Assistance Center
Minnesota Department of Education
1500 Highway 36 West
Roseville, MN 55113

The SSTAC must, by law, follow procedures to respond to complaints of noncompliance. Procedures for Investigating, Reporting and Responding to Noncompliance of Bullying Prohibition Policy (PDF)

What if the school is harassing my children due to their religious beliefs?

The SSTAC has no authority to investigate harassment. The Minnesota Department of Human Rights handles that, but you might find a more sympathetic response from the federal Department of Justice.

Note: If you file a harassment report with the MN Department of Human Rights, you will have to wait 60 days after they complete their investigation and report before you can take any further action with the US Department of Justice.

The U.S. Department of Justice, Educational Opportunities Section accepts complaints of potential violations of harassment due to one’s religion. Complaints may be filed by e-mail at education@usdoj.gov, by phone at 202-514-4092 or 1-877-292-3804 (toll-free), by fax at 202-514-8337 or by letter to the following address:

U.S. Department of Justice Civil Rights Division
950 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W.
Educational Opportunities Section, PHB
Washington, D.C. 20530

Provide name, address, and the name of the school. Additional information regarding how to file a complaint is available at U.S. Department of Justice, Educational Opportunities Section (PDF).

What if my child encounters an actual assault?

Incidents of assault should be reported to the police.

Contact Child Protection League

Please notify us at Report Issues of Concern if you are filing a complaint with the SSTAC or the Department of Justice. We would like to track just how many complaints are being filed. Your personal information remains private.

History of the Bullying Law

Hard Facts on Minnesota’s Anti-bullying Law: The 2014 Safe & Supportive Minnesota Schools Act

CPL is hearing numerous reports that school bullying, harassment and assault in the schools are going unreported and unaddressed. The public was told that the 2014 Safe & Supportive Minnesota Schools Act would change all that. Bullying Bill Law (PDF)

The hard fact about the “Safe & Supportive Schools Act” is that anti-bullying was never its real purpose. Anti-bullying was the pretext used by powerful forces to import, mainstream, and normalize a “social justice,” politically driven agenda. This agenda includes hardcore LGBT and sexually explicit curricula, indoctrination into Islam, and the “bias,” “racist,” and “hate” narrative of the cultural Left. Radical Group Claims Victory on Bullying Bill

The authors of the legislation called it changing the school “climate.” CPL saw this coming, and battled it aggressively. In the end, the legislation became so controversial, only Democrats voted for it and some of them lost their legislative seats because of it.

This law established an entirely new “School Safety Technical Assistance Center” (SSTAC) within the Department of Education, presumably to stop bullying. In reality, it promotes a politicized diversity including, for example, teaching multiple genders, teaching Islam, normalizing boundary-free sexual behaviors and social emotional learning.

Resources for Schools, Educators, Students, Families and Community Members (PDF). (This document now appears to have been removed from the Center’s website, but CPL has it preserved as an example.)

The “anti-bullying” law also began silencing disagreement and forcing everyone to affirm and celebrate what they do not believe. For example, CPL receives reports that students and faculty who do not participate in events such as the national Day of Silence which celebrates LGBT lifestyles are called bigots, in school and on social media. Students tell us that a hostile environment toward themselves because of their beliefs permeates the schools and an atmosphere of intimidation is allowed to continue in spite of complaints. This is genuine bullying!

Likewise, students who respectfully challenge the wisdom, the morality, or the science of LGBT behaviors—including simply whether boys can legitimately become girls—are accused of hate and bullying. The same is true for anyone who points out the never-discussed facts of Islam’s violent Sharia law dictates regarding women. In some schools, students who honor America are even harassed and bullied. Should Academic Balance Be Required in Public Schools?

In many Minnesota schools today, anti-bullying has come to mean full acceptance of the LGBT and Islam narratives, as well as the dangerously disturbed ideologies of male privilege and white privilege. The public expectation about what an “anti-bullying” law should do has been turned on its head!

All this is happening in our schools, while real bullying frequently goes unreported. Read a real bullying example: North Dakota girl bullied to death.

Bullying Law References, past and present
History of the Bullying Law in Videos

CPL Protecting Children: Highlights from CPL campaigns exposing the Raging Culture War against children including the Bullying Bill. (5 minutes)

CPLAction Fall Event

Bullying Bill: Dubbed the ‘Bullying Bill’ by CPL, the HF826 Safe and Supportive Minnesota Schools Act, passed but with extraordinary opposition from CPL and the public. (27 minutes)

Tom’s Story: An untold story of Tom, who was 12, bullied and took his life. So why did Tom’s mom speak out AGAINST the Bullying Bill? (9 minutes)

The Anoka-Hennepin Story explains what happened to Anoka-Hennepin School District in 2011 when Obama DOJ, Eric Holder, sued them for having a policy of neutrality regarding the discussion of LGBT issues. (17 minutes)