When The School Calls It Bullying
MCL 380.1310b — Matt's Safe School Law: a policy with notice to both families and a confidential report
Michigan does not leave bullying to each school's sense of it. The statute requires a policy and says what the policy has to contain, which turns a vague complaint into a specific one: not whether the school cares, but whether it is doing what its own required policy says.
The definition. Bullying means any written, verbal or physical act, or electronic communication including cyberbullying, that is intended or that a reasonable person would know is likely to harm pupils by substantially interfering with their educational opportunities, placing them in reasonable fear of physical harm or causing substantial emotional distress, having a substantial detrimental effect on their health, or substantially disrupting the school.
- A statement prohibiting retaliation or false accusation against a target, a witness, or anyone with reliable information.
- All pupils protected, with bullying prohibited without regard to its subject matter or motivating animus.
- A procedure for notifying the parent or guardian of the victim and of the perpetrator.
- A procedure for prompt investigation, with the principal or designee responsible.
- An assurance of confidentiality for the person who reports, and an annual report of verified incidents and consequences to the board.
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 Michigan attorney.
Sources for this section (1)
- MCL 380.1310b — Policy prohibiting bullying; Matt Epling Safe School Law
Legal information, not legal advice. Verified as of September 2026. Applying it to a particular situation is the work of a licensed Michigan attorney.