Sponsors (39)
Introduced March 12, 2025 by Timothy Michael Kaine · Last progress March 12, 2025
The bill aims to make schools safer and reduce punitive discipline by funding and promoting evidence-based, trauma-informed anti-bullying and safety measures, but it will increase costs and administrative burdens for schools and may prompt concerns about accountability for victims.
Students and schools nationwide could get new federal supports, guidance, and funding to improve school safety, emergency preparedness, and safety-related infrastructure.
Students experience fewer suspensions and expulsions when schools adopt evidence-based, restorative, and trauma-informed anti-bullying approaches (e.g., PBIS), improving attendance and academic continuity.
Students targeted for bullying (including on the basis of race, disability, sexual orientation, or gender identity) may see increased reporting and more teacher intervention under explicit anti-bullying policies, improving protections for vulnerable youth.
Implementing evidence-based, restorative, trauma-informed programs and upgraded safety measures will likely require additional training, staffing, compliance work, and spending—raising costs for districts and potentially taxpayers.
Greater reporting, new compliance expectations, and program implementation could increase administrative and reporting workload for teachers and school staff.
Emphasizing trauma-informed, supportive responses for perpetrators may be perceived as reducing immediate punitive consequences, raising concerns among victims, families, and communities about accountability and justice.
Based on analysis of 3 sections of legislative text.
Adds a new provision to Title IV of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act that focuses on preventing and responding to bullying and harassment in K–12 schools, and sets out federal findings about the harms of such behavior. The bill also establishes a short title and updates the Title IV table of contents, but the actual text of the new substantive provision to be added is not included in the materials provided.