Education Department To Revamp Bullying Policies After Lawsuit

NEW YORK, NY — New York City's Department of Education will revamp how it handles reports of bullying after settling a lawsuit brought by parents of bullied kids who said school officials didn't heed their cries for help. The settlement filed Wednesday in Brooklyn federal court forces the department to track bullying more closely and investigate it more promptly.

A group of parents brought a class action lawsuit in April 2016 alleging that the DOE let violence persist in city schools by often failing to formally report and investigate bullying.

The settlement includes several provisions that aim to change that. DOE staffers will be required to report every incident of bullying they see or hear about within one school day, and the department will have to investigate each report within 10 days of receiving it.

Parents will also be able to report bullying directly to the DOE through an electronic reporting system that must be launched by the 2019-2020 school year. The system will let parents track the status of their reports and the ensuing investigations.

"This settlement finally brings meaningful reform to a troubled and broken system that placed every New York City school student in dire and dangerous circumstances," Jim Walden, a lawyer for the parents, said in a statement. "I am deeply proud of these parents who had the courage to say ‘enough is enough’ as they stood up not only for their own children but for all children."

In addition to the bullying reporting system, a separate electronic system will let parents report abuse or corporal punishment by DOE staff. The DOE also has to offer a hotline for parents looking to file such complaints.

The settlement forces the DOE to accept requests for kids to transfer to a different school when they've been the victim of bullying at least once. That will prevent students from being trapped in schools alongside their tormentors, said Walden Macht & Haran, the law firm representing the plaintiffs.

The DOE must also create a team to help train staff to prevent, report and investigate bullying among students. The department will have to issue a report on how well it's following its own bullying policies for three years after the reporting system is launched to ensure accountability.

"Compliance with all mandated steps reached in the settlement will be tracked by the electronic system," Walden Macht & Haran said. "Every single violation will be exposed through publicly available biannual reports."

The DOE denied any wrongdoing or liability in the settling the case.

"The DOE has initiated numerous reforms to strengthen its anti-bullying programs to ensure safe and inclusive learning environments in every school building," a spokesman for the city Law Department said in a statement. "This settlement reflects and expands on these initiatives in the best interest of the City and its students."

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