What Are Public Schools Required to Do When Students with Disabilities Are Bullied?

Introduction What does a school have to do when a child with a disability is being bullied? School staff, parents, and other caring adults have a role to play in preventing and responding to all forms of bullying. If a student with a disability is being bullied, federal law requires schools to take immediate and appropriate action to investigate the issue and, as necessary, take steps to stop the bullying and prevent it from recurring. Regardless of whether the student is being bullied based on his or her disability, schools must remedy the effects of bullying on the services that the student with a disability receives (special education or other disability-related services) to ensure the student continues to receive a free appropriate public education (FAPE). Any remedy should not burden the student who has been bullied. This issue of NASET’s Parent Teacher Conference Handout will address the question: What Are Public Schools Required to Do When Students with Disabilities Are Bullied?