Amends existing law to revise certain requirements regarding harassment, intimidation, and bullying in public schools.
House Bill 44 amends Idaho Code section 33-1631, which governs school district and charter school policies on harassment, intimidation, and bullying. The bill keeps the existing requirement that schools annually disseminate information to staff, parents, and students and provide ongoing professional development for school personnel, but it revises the policy language to emphasize a broader set of responses and reporting procedures.
The bill requires district policies to include a series of graduated consequences for students who commit bullying, intimidation, harassment, violence, or threats of violence. Those consequences may include counseling, diversion, juvenile specialty courts, restorative practices, on-site suspension, and expulsion, with guidelines to be set by the State Board of Education. It also adds a reporting requirement for incidents that result in suspension under section 33-205, including notice to the parents or guardians of both the alleged victim and alleged perpetrator, and to law enforcement when the conduct may violate criminal law. Annual reporting of bullying incidents to the State Department of Education remains required, with procedures and formats to be established by rule.
If enacted, the bill would amend Idaho’s school safety and student discipline framework by expanding and clarifying how schools respond to bullying-related misconduct and how those incidents are reported. It affects public school districts and charter schools, the State Board of Education, school personnel, parents and guardians, students, and potentially law enforcement. The bill also directs the State Board to adopt rules on professional development content and policy guidelines, and it takes effect July 1, 2025 under an emergency clause.
The available voting history suggests the bill had mixed but meaningful support in the House and stronger opposition in the Senate. It passed the House on third reading 43-26, indicating a majority in favor, but failed on Senate third reading 13-21, showing that the proposal did not secure enough support to advance. No committee transcript is available, so the record does not show detailed public debate, but the votes indicate the bill was more accepted in the House than in the Senate.
The main points of contention likely centered on the bill’s disciplinary approach and reporting requirements. Supporters may have favored clearer school responses, stronger accountability, and required notification to parents and law enforcement when bullying rises to a suspension-level incident or may be criminal. Opponents may have been concerned about mandatory reporting burdens, privacy issues, the role of law enforcement in school discipline, or the inclusion of punitive measures such as suspension and expulsion alongside restorative options. The split vote in the Senate suggests disagreement over how far the state should go in mandating school discipline procedures and reporting rules.