Being worthy of respect
Being worthy of honor
New York State’s Dignity for All Students
Act was created to foster positive school
climate in public schools.
It seeks to provide the state’s public
school students with a safe and
supportive environment free from
discrimination, intimidation,
taunting, harassment, and bullying
on school property, a school bus
and/or at a school function.
Dignity Acts Highlights~
*Went into effect July 1, 2012
*Heightened awareness
*New information for students, staff and
parents
*DA does not include staff to staff
conflicts
In this case Labor Laws apply
DA states that NO student shall be subjected to
(cyber)bullying, harassment or discrimination by
employees or students on school property or at a
school function( including on the bus) based on, but not
limited to their actual or perceived race, color, weight,
national origin, ethnic group, religion, religious practice,
disability, sexual orientation, gender or sex.
Compliance to DA includes instruction on “tolerance”,
“respect for others”, and “dignity”. It shall include
awareness and sensitivity to discrimination or
harassment and civility in the relations of people of
different:
race, color, weight, national origin, ethnic group,
religion, religious practice, disability, sexual
orientation, gender or sex.
These are the most common forms of bullying,
but others do exist and need to be reported.
Examples~
*Creation of an unpleasant or hostile
situation
*Can be verbal or physical
*Interferes with students’ academic
performance
* Unfair treatment of a person or group
* Based on prejudice (preconceived
judgment or opinion)
* Behavior that treats people unfairly and
unequally because of the group to which
they belong.
When someone repeatedly and
purposefully says or does mean or
hurtful things to another person.
Actual or Perceived:
*Race/Color
*Ethnic Group
*National Origin
*Religion/Religious Practice
*Disability
*Weight
*Appearance
*Sexual Orientation
*Gender Identity
*Sex
Cornering
Shoving
Hitting
Pinching
Kicking
Hair pulling
Nuggeting
Pantsing and Wedgies
Name calling
Putting others down
Making threats
Spreading rumors
“That’s so gay.”
“That’s retarded.”
Excluding/Leaving Someone
Out
Dirty looks
Rude gestures
Spreading rumors
*Empowering the students to feel
comfortable to say: “What you are saying
is making me uncomfortable” or “You
should not say things like that.”
*School staff should always be ready to
support students to be assertive, involved;
an upstander.
*We need to educate our students to have
the skills and confidence to be upstanders.
Unsafe Ashamed
Angry Confused
Distressed Lonely
Depressed Afraid
Isolated Powerless
Desperate Helpless
Report to a trusted adult if bullied
Report to a trusted adult if you see it
happening to someone else
Keep reporting…
Treat everyone with respect and dignity
“Any person having reasonable cause to
suspect that a student has been subjected to
harassment, bullying, or discrimination, by
an employee or student, on school grounds
or at a school function”*, may make a report
to school officials without fearing retaliatory
action, so long as he/she acts reasonably
and in good faith.
*NYS Dignity Act
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