Bullying

Read about what schools can do to prevent and respond to bullying
A photograph of Nex Benedict, a nonbinary teenager who died a day after a fight in a high school bathroom, is projected during a candlelight service at Point A Gallery, on Feb. 24, 2024, in Oklahoma City. Federal officials will investigate the Oklahoma school district where Benedict died, according to a letter sent by the U.S. Department of Education on March 1, 2024.
A photograph of Nex Benedict, a nonbinary teenager who died a day after a fight in a high school restroom, is projected during a candlelight service at Point A Gallery, on Feb. 24, 2024, in Oklahoma City. Federal officials will investigate the Oklahoma school district where Benedict died, according to a letter sent by the U.S. Department of Education on March 1, 2024.
Nate Billings/The Oklahoman via AP
Law & Courts Oklahoma Nonbinary Student's Death Shines a Light on Families' Legal Recourse for Bullying
Students facing bullying and harassment from their peers face legal roadblocks in suing districts, but settlements appear to be on the rise
Mark Walsh, March 6, 2024
11 min read
AI Education concept in blue: A robot hand holding a pencil.
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Law & Courts What a Proposed Ban on AI-Assisted ‘Deep Fakes’ Would Mean for Cyberbullying
Students who create AI-generated, intimate images of their classmates would be breaking federal law, if a new bill is enacted.
Alyson Klein, January 12, 2024
2 min read
3d rendering Low key image of menorah Jewish holiday Hanukkah background with candle lights
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Student Well-Being Opinion How Teachers Can Do Better by Jewish Students This Chanukah
An instructional specialist shares three pervasive mistakes that educators should avoid.
Miriam Plotinsky, December 8, 2023
4 min read
The image displays a lonely teenage boy facing away from the camera, sitting on the curb in front of his high school.
Discipline data from the 2020-21 pandemic era, released by the U.S. Department of Education, shows persisting disparities in discipline based on race and disability status.
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School Climate & Safety Disparities, Bullying, and Corporal Punishment: The Latest Federal Discipline Data
As most schools offered hybrid instruction in 2020-21, Black students and students with disabilities were disproportionately disciplined.
Eesha Pendharkar, November 21, 2023
5 min read
Tanya Holyfield, a second grade teacher with Manchester Academic Charter School, teaches remote students from her classroom on March 4, 2021, in Pittsburgh.
Tanya Holyfield, a 2nd grade teacher at Manchester Academic Charter School, teaches remote students from her classroom on March 4, 2021, in Pittsburgh. New federal data from the 2020-21 school year show that longstanding inequities among groups of students did not change much even in a year when many students spent all or part of the year in remote and hybrid learning.
Andrew Rus/Pittsburgh Post-Gazette via AP
Equity & Diversity What the Research Says New National Data Show Depth of Disparities in a Chaotic Year of Schooling
The first federal civil rights data released since the pandemic show that inequities persisted even when school buildings shut down.
Eesha Pendharkar & Sarah D. Sparks, November 15, 2023
10 min read
Illustration of a silhouetted figure standing in isolation on a labyrinth swirl.
Lorenzo Donati/iStock/Getty<br/>
Equity & Diversity Opinion An Urgent Message to School Leaders: Your Arab and Muslim Students Need You
In the past, Middle East conflicts prompted spikes of anti-Muslim collective blame. It’s happening again today.
Amaarah DeCuir , October 27, 2023
5 min read
Image of a school hallway with students moving.
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School Climate & Safety What the Research Says The State of Bullying in Schools, in Charts
Bullying is a top safety concern for teachers. Four charts show how widespread it is in schools and what policymakers are doing about it.
Laura Baker & Arianna Prothero, August 31, 2023
1 min read
Illustration of person sitting with knees to chest and hands pointing at them and one have reaching out and open to offer help.
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Equity & Diversity District Failed to Protect Nonbinary Student From Harassment, Federal Investigation Finds
A Wisconsin district may owe compensatory instruction to a nonbinary student for excluding them from some in-person instruction.
Eesha Pendharkar, August 4, 2023
5 min read
Helena Donato-Sapp, age 14, speaks to thousands of National Education Association delegates about disability justice in the classroom on July 4, 2023.
Helena Donato-Sapp, 14, speaks to thousands of National Education Association delegates about disability justice in schools on July 4, 2023.
National Education Association
Special Education Q&A A Teenager With Disabilities Implores Educators: 'Be My Champion'
From cooperative learning to school projects, teachers can ensure that students with disabilities are fully included and supported.
Madeline Will, July 5, 2023
5 min read
Paper cut outs of people with one not included in the chain. On a blue background.
E+/Getty
Student Well-Being No, Being Bullied or Ignored Doesn't Make Kids Stronger
Teens with a history of negative peer interactions feel the sting of being bullied or excluded much more than other kids, research shows.
Alyson Klein, April 7, 2023
4 min read
Image of a child wearing a backpack and adult holding hands as they walk.
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Families & the Community What the Research Says Parents Today: Less 'Helicoptering,' More Concern About Kids' Mental Health
A new survey shows how parents' priorities for their children could be shifting.
Sarah D. Sparks, February 7, 2023
4 min read
Image of a student with rainbow straps on their backpack.
iSTock/Getty
School Climate & Safety What School Is Like for LGBTQ Students, By the Numbers
Here are survey statistics on harassment, support, and fears experienced by LGBTQ students during pandemic-era schooling.
Eesha Pendharkar, October 25, 2022
4 min read
Close up of couple holding hands wearing rainbow flag wristband
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School Climate & Safety Some Breaks From Bullying, But Fewer Supports: How LGBTQ Students Fared in the Pandemic
A survey finds that LGBTQ students missed out on in-school supports in 2020-21, and a trend of declining harassment leveled off.
Eesha Pendharkar, October 18, 2022
3 min read
Image of woman with a "Together We Rise!" sign.
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School Climate & Safety Opinion How A Texas Teen Turned Bias and Body-Shaming into Advocacy and Action
A 19-year-old student activist can teach educators lessons about how to inform and empower students.
Jinnie Spiegler, August 21, 2022
4 min read