Relating to bullying and cyberbullying in public schools.
SB 1445 revises Texas public school bullying law to expand and clarify how bullying and cyberbullying are defined and addressed. The bill broadens the bullying definition to expressly include conduct targeting a student based on actual or perceived religion, disability status, race, ethnicity, color, national origin, sex, or association with a person or group with those characteristics, and it updates cyberbullying to include electronic communication tools such as social media, text messaging, internet websites, and applications using artificial intelligence. It also preserves the ability of school employees to implement prevention, mediation, and training strategies for bullying and harassment tied to protected characteristics.
The bill substantially expands district policy requirements under Section 37.0832 of the Education Code. School districts would have to adopt policies that prohibit bullying and retaliation, require employee reporting, provide prompt notice to parents, establish anonymous reporting procedures, and create a formal investigation process with written notice, witness participation, investigative reports, review and comment rights, appeals, and a 10-business-day completion target. It also requires supportive, non-disciplinary measures for affected students, such as counseling, schedule changes, escorts, transfers, and contact restrictions, regardless of whether the student participates in the investigation.
SB 1445 also directs the Texas Education Agency to adopt minimum standards for district policies that emphasize prevention, school climate, relationship-building, student instruction on bullying prevention, anonymous reporting, annual student surveys, action plans, and a rubric or checklist for assessing incidents and responses. In addition, districts and charter schools would have to report annual bullying data through PEIMS, including whether incidents involved cyberbullying or targeted protected characteristics. The bill applies beginning with the 2025-2026 school year and requires TEA to update standards within 45 days of enactment.
The available legislative record shows no committee transcript excerpts or recorded votes, so there is no documented floor or committee debate in the provided materials. Based on the bill text, the overall approach appears strongly protective of students and focused on clearer procedures, more reporting, and stronger district accountability. The bill’s structure suggests support for anti-bullying enforcement and student supports, while also imposing more detailed compliance obligations on school districts and charter schools.
SB 1445 would amend multiple provisions of the Texas Education Code, especially Sections 28.0022, 37.0832, and 48.009, to create a more detailed statewide framework for bullying and cyberbullying prevention, reporting, investigation, and response in public schools. It would require school districts and open-enrollment charter schools to adopt more comprehensive anti-bullying policies, provide supportive measures to impacted students, and report more specific bullying data to the state. TEA would also be required to revise minimum standards and districts would need to incorporate the policy into handbooks and improvement plans. The bill affects students, parents, school employees, district administrators, and TEA, and it adds procedural and reporting duties for public school systems.
No votes or committee discussion were provided, so there is no direct record of legislative sentiment in the supplied materials. From the bill text alone, the measure appears to reflect a pro-student, anti-bullying policy direction with an emphasis on prevention, accountability, and support for victims and other impacted students. The bill also appears designed to be administratively prescriptive, suggesting a policy preference for standardized district procedures rather than leaving bullying responses largely to local discretion.
The main points of potential contention are likely to be the bill’s expanded definitions and its detailed procedural mandates for school districts. Supporters would likely favor the explicit protections for students targeted on the basis of protected characteristics, the inclusion of AI-based and social-media-based cyberbullying, and the requirement for supportive measures and reporting transparency. Opponents or concerned districts may object to the added administrative burden, the short investigation timeline, the appeal and report-review requirements, and the broader reporting obligations. Another possible area of debate is the bill’s inclusion of conduct tied to religion, disability, race, ethnicity, color, national origin, sex, and association with protected groups, which may raise questions about scope, enforcement, and local implementation.