Bullying Prevention and Intervention

Bullying, cyber-bullying and retaliation are prohibited in schools in Massachusetts. The content on this page provides bullying intervention and prevention information for districts, schools, families and community partners.

Posted information may include content that does not necessarily represent the official views of the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (Department or DESE) and inclusion here does not imply endorsement of any kind. DESE assumes no responsibility for, or any obligation to monitor the content, privacy practices, operators, availability, accuracy, quality, advertising, products, services, or other materials of these sites.

Scroll down the page for more information or select any of the following categories to be brought directly to that point on this page.

1. Laws and Regulations
2. Definition of Bullying
3. Model Bullying Prevention and Intervention Plan
4. Information for Families
5. Evidence Based Programs, Curricula, and Practices
6. Bullying Data
7. Resources from State and Federal Agencies
8. For More Information

1. Laws and Regulations:

The Department, districts and schools are required to address bullying prevention and intervention as a requirement of the Act Relative to Bullying in Schools , the Massachusetts Anti-Bullying law (G.L. c. 71, §370 Chapter 92) that was passed in 2010. In 2013, the original legislation was amended with the passing of Chapter 86, An Act Relative to Bullying in Schools - 2014.

Related state regulations and federal laws include:

• Notification of Bullying or Retaliation Regulations (603 CMR 49.00)

• Federal Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, 20 U.S.C. § 1232g and 34 CFR Part 99

• Massachusetts Student Records Regulations, 603 CMR 23.00

2. Definition of Bullying:

"Bullying" for the purposes of requirements related to Chapter 92 of the Acts of 2010 legislation is defined as the following:

The repeated use by one or more students or by a member of a school staff including, but not limited to, an educator, administrator, school nurse, cafeteria worker, custodian, bus driver, athletic coach, advisor to an extracurricular activity or paraprofessional of a written, verbal or electronic expression or a physical act or gesture or any combination thereof, directed at a victim that: (i) causes physical or emotional harm to the victim or damage to the victim's property; (ii) places the victim in reasonable fear of harm to himself or of damage to his property; (iii) creates a hostile environment at school for the victim; (iv) infringes on the rights of the victim at school; or (v) materially and substantially disrupts the education process or the orderly operation of a school. For the purposes of this section, bullying shall include cyber-bullying. See the legislation for more details on the definition of cyber-bullying and more.

3. Model Bullying Prevention and Intervention Plan

Each school district, charter school, non-public school, approved private day or residential school and collaborative school shall develop, adhere to and update a plan to address bullying prevention and intervention. The plans shall be updated at least biennially (every two years).

In 2014, a Model Bullying Prevention and Intervention Plan was updated to reflect the amended law that requires districts and schools to "recognize" in their plan that certain enumerated categories of students may be more vulnerable to being targets of bullying based on actual or perceived differentiating characteristics. Districts and schools are also encouraged to consider the ways prevention and intervention efforts are aligned with local practices to support inclusion, diversity, belonging and equity, multi-tiered system of support frameworks, the essential elements of the safe and supportive schools framework, behavioral and mental health services, social emotional learning supports, and comprehensive school-based mental health systems.

The plans are also required to:

• include a statement prohibiting bullying, cyberbullying, and retaliation,
• detail the policies and procedures for reporting and responding to bullying and retaliation,
• include specific steps to support vulnerable students and all students with the skills, knowledge, and strategies they need to prevent or respond to bullying or harassment,
• describe the role of district and school leadership,
• provide information about annual and on-going professional development for all staff,
• describe the strategies for providing supports and services for students,
• address strategies to engage and collaborate with students' families, and
• detail the age-appropriate universal instruction on bullying prevention at each grade level.

The following resources may be useful for schools/districts when creating a new Plan or updating local Bullying Prevention and Intervention Plans.

• BPIP Model Plan (2014)

• Checklist that can be used at the local level to track if all legislatively required elements are included in the local plan. (2014)

• Appendix A: Sample Bullying Prevention and Intervention Incident Reporting Form

• Guidance on Notifying Parents when a Student has been Bullied Based on Sexual Orientation or Gender Identity/Expression: Implementation of 603 CMR 49.05

• Technical Assistance Advisory SPED 2011-2: Bullying Prevention and Intervention

• Addressing the Needs of Students with Disabilities in the IEP and in School Bullying Prevention and Intervention Efforts.

While not required updated plans can voluntarily be submitted via the Security Portal's Bullying Prevention and Invention Plan DropBox* or via email to achievement@mass.gov .

*Entities required to submit Plans may submit information through the new DropBox designed for this purpose, local Directory Administrators must assign the Superintendent or his/her designee the "Bullying Prevention and Invention Plan DropBox" role in the Security Portal's Directory Administration area. Once that is done, the superintendent or designee can sign into the portal and see that DropBox listed under DropBox Central. Schools without a Directory Administrator should contact the Department's data collection group at 781-338-3282.

4. Information for Families:

Under the law, schools are required to inform families and guardians about bullying prevention efforts. Bullying Prevention and Intervention Plans are required to be posted to district websites. Schools must also notify families and guardians of targets of bullying of the availability of the Department's Problem Resolution System and assist these parents and guardians in understanding the problem resolution process.

Complaints regarding a school or district not responding appropriately to bullying allegations may be investigated through the Problem Resolution System Office. Emails can be sent to DESECompliance@mass.gov or individuals can call 781-338-3700.

5. Evidence Based Programs, Curricula, and Practices

The law directs the Department to post a list of bullying prevention and intervention resources, evidence-based curricula, best practices, and academic-based research. Please note that any list of programs and the links to other sites are provided as resources for schools and districts. School and district leaders have discretion to select evidence-based curricula and other resources that are not on the list. Local education officials should determine which bullying prevention curricula and strategies are most appropriate for each school and grade they oversee, taking into account students' developmental stages, community contexts, and other factors. Information about a district/school's selected curricula should be included in the local Bullying Prevention and Intervention Plan.

At no time should a list be considered exhaustive, as other evidence-based curricula, programs and practices may exist that are not posted here. In addition, evidence-based programs and practices that address school climate and culture, as well as students' social and emotional wellbeing, may not have been evaluated for bullying prevention effectiveness, but could be considered as part of a district's approach to creating safe and healthy learning environments.

6. Bullying Data

The following information is available through data collected by public schools and districts and reported to the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.

School districts, charter schools, approved private day or residential schools, and collaborative schools are required to collect and report data on bullying, including:

• Discipline action (suspensions, removals, expulsions) for bullying offenses is reported by public schools, collaboratives and charter schools through the School Safety and Discipline Report (SSDR) while private day and residential schools use a separate security portal application.

  • Datasets summarizing discipline data related to bullying offenses reported by school districts, charter schools and collaborative schools and the number of days missed for disciplinary action are available in the Education-to-Career Research and Data Hub .

• The Bullying Allegations count is an annual aggregate count of reported allegations provided by districts and schools to the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. An "allegation" is a report of bullying or retaliation made to a school for investigation.

• Annual Legislative Reports are also available.

• The Department's Views of Climate and Learning Survey Project (VOCAL) was developed per legislative requirement to survey students at least once every four years to provide information on student perceptions of bullying and school climate. Information can be found on the Office of Planning & Research's Views of Climate and Learning Survey Project (VOCAL) page, including the VOCAL State Report . State-level results are also available on the Education-to-Career Research and Data Hub for export and custom reporting.

• State-level reports about priority health risk behaviors in youth, including bullying, are available on the Massachusetts Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) - Student and Family Support (SFS) page. To access MA YRBS high school data from all years, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has two online applications, Youth Online and YRBS Explorer . MA YRBS does not generate school-, district-, or community-level data.

• Information about school health policies and practices, including bullying, is collected biennially from Massachusetts middle and high school principals and lead health education teachers through a system of surveys, School Health Profiles , administered by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in collaboration with the Department. National and state information is available in the School Health Profiles Explorer – Dashboard .

7. Resources from State and Federal Agencies

8. For More Information:

For more information or assistance, please contact: The Office of Student and Family Support (SFS) via achievement@mass.gov or 781-338-3010.

Last Updated: August 6, 2026