Bullying Prevention

Overview

The Utah State Board of Education believes that a safe learning environment in which all members of the school community are treated with dignity and respect is necessary for students to learn and achieve high academic standards and that conduct constituting bullying, cyber-bullying, hazing, retaliation, and abusive conduct disrupts both a student’s ability to learn and a school’s ability to educate its students in a safe environment.

Bullying is commonly understood as aggressive behavior that:

P – Exists in a relationship in which there is an imbalance of Power and Strength

R – Repeated over time

I – Intended to cause distress or harm

Utah’s legislature also recognizes that a single egregious act may constitute bullying.

LEA Policies

LEA Bullying Policies

Resources

Utah Bullying Toolkit- Coming Soon!

Students

• • Stop Bullying- Get Help Now
  • What to say to someone who is bullying you
  • How youth can protect themselves
  • Stopping bullying at school
  • PACER- Kids Against Bullying
  • PACER- Teens Against Bullying

Families- Cyberbullying

• • Teaching digital citizenship skills
  • FTC- Protecting Kids Online
  • FBI- Safe Online Surfing Program
  • Utah Attorney General Resources for Parents

Tools

• • SAMSHA- Know Bullying App
  • SafeUT App

Utah Code and Rule

• • Administrative Rule R277-613 LEA Policies and Training Regarding Bullying, Cyber-bullying, Hazing, Retaliation, and Abusive Conduct.
  • Utah Code Part 53G-9-6 Bullying and Hazing

Data

• • State
    • School Climate Survey Public Dashboard
    • SafeUT Annual Report FY24
    • Student Health and Risk Prevention Surveys (SHARP)
    • 2024 School Disciplinary Report
  • National
    • 2022 School Crime Supplement Report
    • Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System
    • Stopbullying Now
  • International
    • UNESCO Institute of Statistics

Hotline

At the Utah State Board of Education (USBE), we are committed to fostering a safe and supportive educational environment for all students. We understand the importance of addressing concerns related to bullying incidents promptly and appropriately. 

If you have a complaint regarding bullying that has occurred at your school, please be aware that USBE supports Local Education Agencies (LEAs aka charters and districts) in ensuring compliance with statutes and rules concerning their policies. We offer technical assistance as necessary to assist LEAs in maintaining a safe and supportive learning environment. 

However, USBE does not possess the authority to conduct investigations to determine whether a specific incident constitutes bullying, nor can we make determinations regarding disciplinary actions. Our primary focus lies in assessing compliance and, when applicable, providing recommendations for improvements to ensure compliance with statute and rule.

The state of Utah grants LEAs local control over their policies and processes. For concerns outside the scope of USBE, we encourage you to follow your LEA's grievance process or contact your local school board.

If your concern specifically involves compliance with statute and rule, please feel free to reach out to our audit department hotline at (801) 538-7813 or audit@schools.utah.gov

Report a concern form.

We appreciate your commitment to maintaining a safe and respectful educational environment, and we encourage open communication between schools, parents, and communities to address concerns effectively.

Rvsd. 9/4/25