When The School Calls It Bullying
Va. Code 22.1-279.6 — the parent of every student involved told within 24 hours
Each Virginia school board includes in its code of student conduct policies and procedures that prohibit bullying, consistent with the standards the Board of Education sets for bullying and cyberbullying policies.
Within 24 hours. The policies direct the principal or a designee to notify the parent of any student involved in an alleged incident of bullying within 24 hours of learning of the allegation.
- They address cyberbullying between students of the division that happens outside school property.
- They protect a student who is a victim of or witness to cyberbullying from being deterred from reporting or seeking support by fear of retaliation, social alienation or other negative treatment.
- They list the support services and resources available at each school, including mental health support, for a student who is a victim of cyberbullying.
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 Virginia attorney.
Sources for this section (1)
- Va. Code 22.1-279.6 — Board of Education guidelines and model policies for codes of student conduct; school board regulations
Legal information, not legal advice. Verified as of September 2026. Applying it to a particular situation is the work of a licensed Virginia attorney.