When The School Calls It Bullying
G.L. c. 71, § 37O — staff report immediately, and the parents of both students are notified
Massachusetts prohibits bullying outright, by students and by school staff, from educators and administrators to bus drivers, coaches and cafeteria workers, and prohibits retaliation against anyone who reports it, gives information, or witnesses it.
The definition. Bullying is the repeated use of a written, verbal or electronic expression or a physical act or gesture directed at a victim that causes physical or emotional harm or property damage, places the victim in reasonable fear of harm, creates a hostile environment at school, infringes on the victim's rights at school, or materially and substantially disrupts the education process. It includes cyber-bullying.
- A member of school staff immediately reports any instance of bullying or retaliation they witness or become aware of to the principal or the designated official.
- If the principal or designee determines bullying occurred, they take appropriate disciplinary action and notify the parents or guardians of the perpetrator and of the victim, and tell the victim's parents what is being done to prevent further acts.
- They notify local law enforcement if they believe criminal charges may be pursued.
Where it reaches. On school grounds and adjacent property, at school activities, at bus stops and on buses, and off campus where it creates a hostile environment at school or disrupts it. Each school provides age-appropriate instruction on bullying prevention in each grade.
Discipline itself, suspension and expulsion procedure, federal civil rights law on harassment based on a protected characteristic, and criminal charges for conduct that is also a crime are outside this page. Whether a district followed its own policy in a particular case, and what can be done if it did not, are questions for a licensed Massachusetts attorney.
Sources for this section (1)
- G.L. c. 71, § 37O — School bullying prohibited; bullying prevention and intervention plans; reporting of bullying incidents
Legal information, not legal advice. Verified as of September 2026. Applying it to a particular situation is the work of a licensed Massachusetts attorney.