What is Minnesota state law?

In Minnesota, bullying is defined as intimidating, threatening, abusive, or harmful conduct that is objectively offensive with an actual or perceived imbalance of power between the student engaging in the conduct and the target of the behavior. The conduct may also be repeated or form a pattern. (See the full definition at Sec. 121A.031 MN Statutes)

What is the federal law?

At this time, there is no federal law that specifically applies to bullying. In some cases, when bullying is based on race or ethnicity, color, national origin, sex, disability, or religion, it overlaps with harassment and schools are legally obligated to address it. Read more about when bullying overlaps with harassment and how to report it.

Are Minnesota schools required to have bullying prevention policies?

Minnesota school districts are required to adopt, implement, review, and revise written policies to prevent and prohibit bullying. The policy must describe how schools will investigate and respond to reports of bullying.

Who should I contact at my child’s school to report a bullying incident?

When you need to report bullying, you may need to meet with various school members. This could include the principal, vice principal, school counselor, social workers, school police officers, and teachers.