Sponsors (195)
The bill clarifies a place in law for safe-schools reforms and encourages restorative and trauma-informed practices that can keep vulnerable students in school and improve safety, but it creates expectations without new funding and may spark disputes over school discipline and short-term planning uncertainty.
Students (especially those who are suspended or expelled): evidence-based restorative practices and PBIS reduce suspensions/expulsions so more students stay in class and improve learning outcomes.
Students targeted by bias (race, sex, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, etc.): enumerated anti-bullying policies increase reporting and teacher intervention, improving protections and school inclusion for vulnerable groups.
Students who perpetrate harm with trauma histories: recommending trauma-informed interventions can address underlying causes and reduce repeat offending, improving overall school safety and student well-being.
Schools, districts, and educators: the bill creates expectations for PBIS, restorative practices, and related provisions but provides no new funding or deadlines, so districts face unfunded costs, staff time burdens, and limited immediate resources to implement changes.
Parents and some students: stronger reporting and intervention policies may lead to more disciplinary actions that some families view as overreach or unfair, increasing disputes over school authority and trust.
State and local education agencies and schools: the new listing lacks substantive content and creates short-term ambiguity about what will be required, producing planning uncertainty for recipients of Title IV funds.
Based on analysis of 3 sections of legislative text.
Adds congressional findings on bullying and inserts a placeholder safe‑schools provision into ESEA Title IV without creating new duties or funding.
Adds a named "Safe Schools Improvement" provision to the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (Title IV) and records congressional findings on bullying, harassment, protected classes, trauma-informed approaches, and restorative discipline practices. It establishes the policy intent and expands the statutory table of contents but does not, in its text, create operative requirements, funding, definitions, or deadlines. The bill mainly expresses findings about the harms of bullying, encourages evidence-based restorative and trauma-informed practices, enumerates protected and targeted categories, and inserts a placeholder for a new Title IV safe schools provision into the ESEA structure without providing the new provision's substantive text or resources.
Official title: To address and take action to prevent bullying and harassment of students.
Introduced March 3, 2025 by Linda T. Sánchez · Last progress March 3, 2025