INDIANAPOLIS— A new push is underway to require schools to more quickly tell parents about suspected bullying incidents.
Under Senate Bill 255, school districts would have to report possible bullying to parents of both the targeted student and the alleged perpetrator by the end of the day.
Currently, school corporations have five days to make that notification.
Erin Moon-Walker of West Lafayette says her daughter was threatened on a Friday and physically assaulted the following Monday in the fall of 2022 at the West Lafayette Junior Senior High School.
"The student confronted her in the commons, pursued her across the commons and then grabbed her and threw her down, ripped her backpack,” said Moon-Walker. “She got some bruises. And then one of the student's friends shared it on social media."
Moon-Walker testified before a senate education committee Wednesday that she didn’t learn of the incident until after it was shared on social media.
“Schools have up to five days to tell you if your child was hit, slapped or punched and that is only if they determine it was bullying,” testified Moon-Walker. “So if they don’t fully investigate it, they don’t have to determine it, and they don’t have to tell you about it.”
WRTV Investigates first introduced you to Moon-Walker in October as she urged for more accountability in how schools and the Indiana Department of Education handle bullying reports.
WATCH | Mom urges state to audit bullying numbers
Moon-Walker says the language in SB255 would allow parents to plan for the child’s safety.
“Get them medical attention, therapy or get them off the bus to keep them safe,” said Moon-Walker. “It’s very common sense. It’s not too much to ask."
The bill’s author, Senator Spencer Deery, R-West Lafayette, emphasizes that the district could continue to investigate after notifying the parents.
“What the bill does is you may not know the details of the incident, but before the end of the day you need to make a reasonable effort to inform the parent that something happened,” said Sen. Deery. “We want you to know we are investigating this incident and we are going to get back to you.”
Sen. Deery said some schools have used the five-day window to delay informing parents.
“We need to close the gap between what parents and the schools know,” said Sen. Deery.
Dacia Mumford, a West Lafayette school board member and mother, testified that she’s tried to change the district’s policy to require parents to be notified by the end of the day about suspected bullying.
“But the administration and the school’s legal counsel are opposed to this change because state law allows them to delay,” said Mumford. “As a parent and social worker, I find it unacceptable that students in Indiana are facing situations in school without parent support because administrators are allowed to postpone notifications. Parents have a right to know what is happening at their school, so they can advocate for their children.”
The Senate committee did not vote on the legislation Wednesday, but did hear testimony.
In the fall, WRTV Investigates went to the West Lafayette Community School Corporation administration building and sent an email.
No one was available for an on-camera interview, however, a spokesperson responded via email.
“We are unable to address questions regarding specific students or incidents in order to comply with FERPA and protect student privacy,” read a statement from the school district. “We can confirm that we investigate all allegations of bullying, and we can confirm that we report incidents of substantiated bullying as required annually by the Indiana Department of Education. Additionally, we report other disciplinary data about suspensions and expulsions as required by law.”
Newly released numbers show schools reported 7,700 bullying incidents last school year, a 41% increase from the year before when 5,460 incidents were reported.
BREAKDOWN OF 7,700 BULLYING INCIDENTS (2023-24)
- 3,284 Verbal
- 2,409 Physical
- 789 Social/Relational
- 596 Electronic/Written
- 622 Combination Incidents
