School & Education

According to stopbullying.gov, bullying is unwanted, aggressive behavior among school-aged children. It involves a real or perceived power imbalance and is often a repeated behavior(s). Students use their power to control or harm others. Power can include:

• Physical strength,
• Access to embarrassing information, or
• Popularity.

Bullying is a physical or verbal action that can cause:

• Physical harm or injury,
• Decreased self-esteem or confidence,
• Increased incidents of anxiety or depression, poor eating habits, and antisocial behaviors, and
• Decreased academic and extracurricular involvement. 

Bullying can include, among other things:

• Harassment,
• Threats,
• Intimidation,
• Stalking,
• Physical violence,
• Sexual harassment or sexual violence,
• Theft,
• Embarrassing someone in public,
• Destruction of property,
• Punishment for asserting or alleging an act of bullying, and 
• Posting or distributing unkind, abusive, false, and/or sexually explicit posts or images.

Certain types of bullying, such as assault or battery, harassment, and stalking, may be classified as crimes that can be reported to law enforcement. Bullying can always be reported to a school or other institution. 

Parents and guardians can look for signs of bullying and encourage dialogue with their children to help keep them safe. Anybody can report bullying. However, students may not report it due to fear of retaliation or of increased frequency or severity.

Some signs of bullying include:

• Injuries,
• Avoiding school, 
• Changes in eating habits,
• Bad sleep, 
• Changes in grades, 
• Change in mood or communication,
• Depression, 
• Anxiety, and
• Self-destructive tendencies. 

Read more about signs of being bullied or bullying others. 

Schools are required to take action if bullying happens:

• During any school program or activity, like clubs and sports,
• While in school or on school property,
• On school buses or other school vehicles,
• At school bus stops waiting for the school bus,
• Through the spread of data from a school computer, computer network, or other electronic equipment, or
• Through a non-school computer or device, if it disrupts education. 

School districts are required to take action to prevent bullying. Some of these steps include:

• Creating a written policy against bullying,
• Creating rules about bullying, including a procedure for reporting and addressing bullying, 
• Making sure that students and parents/guardians know about the bullying rules by posting the policy on their website. If there is no website, then the rules must be in the student handbook or yearly student registration materials, 
• Designating specific school employees to deal with bullying issues,
• Giving the contact information for certain school employees to students and parents/guardians, and
• Increasing student accountability if bullying is based on:
  • Religion,
  • Race, or
  • Ethnicity.

The Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) is responsible for enforcing these requirements. School policies must follow ISBE's model policy. Learn more about what schools can do.

When schools are alerted to incidents of bullying, they are required to take immediate action to stop it. Some of these actions include:

• Reviewing reports of bullying within ten days,
• Notifying parents/guardians or students involved in bullying within 24 hours, and
• Trying to solve the bullying through:
  • School social work or counseling services,
  • Social-emotional learning,
  • School mental health services,
  • Community-based services, and
  • Restorative measures, such as disciplinary actions.

If bullying occurs on school property, schools must designate a person to whom to report the bullying. Bullying prevention policies can be found on the school website, in the student handbook, or in the yearly registration materials. State guidelines recommend that any reports be made in writing or over email, specifically including:

• Dates and times,
• Locations,
• Names of people involved or present, and
• Any other relevant information regarding what took place. 

Anonymous reports of bullying are allowed depending on school policies. When reports are anonymous, disciplinary action cannot be taken. However, resources for bullying survivors will still be provided. 

Within 24 hours of a report, a school must notify the parents or guardians of the students involved in a bullying incident. Parents and guardians must also be notified of: 

• Social work services, 
• Counseling, 
• School psychological services, and 
• Other interventions available to students.

Starting in the 2027 school year, Illinois schools will be required to provide free mental health screenings for students. 

Bullying survivors can text the Crisis Text Line at 741741 for free bullying support from a trained professional. Survivors and their family members may also visit Stop Bullying and The Choose Kindness Project for resources on ending bullying and strategies to stay safe.  

Illinois law prohibits school representatives from harassing students. If this happens, it may be a violation of civil rights under Illinois law. School representatives include:

• Administrators,
• Teachers, professors, and instructors,
• Faculty members, and 
• Any other school employee. 

If someone believes this has happened, they can file a complaint with the Illinois Department of Human Rights. The complaint must be filed within two years of the incident. The person against whom the complaint is filed will be notified. 

Students with a disability or special needs are more likely to be bullied. State law requires that students with disabilities be educated with students without disabilities. If bullying does arise, the reporting procedure is the same. 

If a student with a disability is bullied, it is important to look for discrimination. Federal law protects students with disabilities from being discriminated against. If the school does not appropriately respond, the student or their parent or guardian may file a complaint with the US Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division.

If a violent crime has been committed against someone, school transfer is an option. There are also certain civil order of protection remedies that can force a school transfer or separation. 

If a student is being bullied but no violent crime has occurred, transfer policies vary by school district. What school someone attends is generally based on where they live. However, some areas, such as Chicago, allow transfers for students' well-being. If a bullying survivor is in the Chicago Public Schools system, they may request a transfer to a different public school if their educational interests would be better served elsewhere. In Chicago, a network chief takes bullying into account when determining if a transfer is appropriate. This is called a safety transfer. 

Students and parents can learn more about Illinois anti-bullying laws at 105 ILCS 5/22-110. They can also explore civil order of protection, such as Order of Protection, Civil No Contact Orders, and Stalking No Contact Orders. There is also helpful information found on:

• Stomp Out Bullying
• Stop Bullying: Cyberbullying

If your child has experienced bullying, there are options you can consider to address the issue. Learn more about Protecting a student from bullying.

Beyond these steps, complaints or lawsuits may also be needed to address the bullying.  Talking to a lawyer about your child’s situation may be a good idea. You can use Get Legal Help to find a free legal aid lawyer or private lawyer referral near you.