H.R. 1810 — Safe Schools Improvement Act

This section sets forth congressional findings on the impacts of bullying and harassment in schools, including their effects on student health, learning, dropout rates, and absenteeism; the range of behaviors involved; the benefits of enumerated anti-bullying policies; targeting of students based on characteristics such as race, sex, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, sex characteristics, or religion; relational aggression; recommended evidence-based interventions such as Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS) and restorative practices; and the needs of bully-victims.

This section adds a new Part G ("Safe Schools Improvement") to Title IV of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7101 et seq.) to prevent and prohibit bullying and harassment in public elementary and secondary schools. States receiving grants under Title IV must require local educational agencies (LEAs) to (1) establish policies prohibiting conduct—including bullying and harassment based on a student's actual or perceived race, color, national origin, sex (including sexual orientation, gender identity, and sex characteristics), disability, or religion, among other characteristics—that limits student participation in or creates a hostile educational environment; (2) provide annual notice of prohibited conduct and grievance procedures with designated officials and established timelines; and (3) collect and publicly report accurate, anonymized school- and LEA-level data on such incidents. States must submit biennial reports to the Secretary of Education on LEA data and support plans; the Secretary must conduct biennial program evaluations, collect incidence data, and submit reports to the President and Congress beginning January 1, 2026. The new requirements supplement—but do not limit—existing nondiscrimination obligations under federal laws including Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (29 U.S.C. 794), Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, and do not affect free speech protections or preclude consistent state or local anti-bullying laws.