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Read. Follow. Verify.Massachusetts bill requires quarterly bullying reports and creates anti-bullying officer pilot program for schools
Last action · September 25, 2025: Bill reported favorably by committee and referred to the committee on House Ways and MeansSponsors: Shirley Arriaga and 3 others
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What This Bill Would Do
Massachusetts schools must now submit quarterly bullying incident data instead of annual reports and include any reported incidents rather than only ones. The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education will establish an anti-bullying officer pilot program to assign specialized officers to the five schools with the highest number of reported bullying incidents.
School districts face increased administrative reporting frequency regarding student bullying, and the five schools with the highest incident volumes receive state-assigned anti-bullying personnel to handle investigations and reporting.
- Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 71, Section 37O governs school bullying prevention and intervention across the state. context
Who It Would Affect
Groups the bill's text would affect if enacted, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
school principals
School principals must oversee bullying plans and submit quarterly bullying incident reports to the department.
parents and guardians
Parents and guardians must receive specific information from schools on bullying prevention curriculum, online safety, and reporting procedures.
perpetrators and victims of bullying
Perpetrators and victims must receive mandatory counseling to appropriate services as part of school bullying prevention plans.
Key Facts
You don't have to trust us. Each fact below is taken straight from the official document - click any one to see the exact passage, highlighted in the original.
Frequently Asked Questions
How often do schools have to report bullying incidents under this bill?
Which schools will receive assigned anti-bullying officers?
What else do you want to know?
News Coverage
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Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
Currently in committee. The next step in the legislative lifecycle is Floor Vote.
Procedural history
4 actions- Sep 25, 2025HouseCommitteeBill reported favorably by committee and referred to the committee on House Ways and Means
- Jun 6, 2025JointHearing scheduled for 06/17/2025 from 01:00 PM-05:00 PM in B-2
- Feb 27, 2025SenateSenate concurred
- Feb 27, 2025HouseCommitteeReferred to the committee on Education
Version history
Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.
View official text →Lobbying Activity
No state lobbying filings in our records match this bill. Federal lobbying reports (LDA) cover Congress, so they are not listed on state bills.
Full breakdown
Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.
Sponsors
Discoveries
Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.
Shift from Annual to Quarterly Reporting
The legislation changes school reporting from an annual summary of substantiated incidents to a quarterly accounting of any reported bullying incidents.
Connected Entities
Sources
malegislature.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance60How much this matters to a regular citizen
- Controversy15Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment5Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz30Current news / social attention level
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