Bullying | David's Law
Effective September 1, 2017, Senate Bill 179, commonly known as “David’s Law,” makes it a Class A misdemeanor and allows a temporary injunction against social media accounts used to electronically harass or cyberbully someone under age 18 through text message, social media, websites or other means with the intent of causing them to commit suicide or harm themselves.
Authored by Texas state Senators José Menéndez and Judith Zaffirini, the bill requires school districts to include cyberbullying in their district bullying policies, notify parents within 3 days if their child has been bullied, and notify the parents of the alleged aggressor within a reasonable amount of time. Additionally, schools have the authority to investigate cyberbullying and to work with law enforcement on such investigations.
If a student believes they are a victim of cyberbullying/bullying or if a teacher or other school personnel have knowledge about an incident of cyberbullying/bullying, they should immediately report it to a campus administrator. Students and parents may also use LVISD’s Anonymous Reporting Form, our anonymous incident reporting system. Students or parents can submit reports such as bullying, cyberbullying, depression, dating violence, drug or alcohol use, threats against the school, weapons on campus and more. All messages submitted remain completely anonymous. The Anonymous Reporting Form ensures that we have a system for our students and community to report bullying and other student concerns without fear of being identified.
For specific information, please refer to our Student Handbook.