school liability; bullying; serious injury
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Progress
Where this bill stands in the legislative process.
- Introduced
- Passed Senate
- Passed House
- To Governor
- Became Law
Overview
Senate Bill 1684 allows students or their parents to sue a public school for damages if a student suffers serious physical injury due to bullying and the school failed to address a prior report of the bullying. The bill defines bullying as behavior that causes a reasonable fear of harm and establishes that bullying can occur on school grounds, via electronic technology, or at school-sponsored events. It also allows courts to award attorney fees and damages to successful plaintiffs.
Key provisions
- Students or parents can sue schools for damages resulting from bullying causing serious physical injury.
- A prior report of bullying must be received by the school before a lawsuit can be filed.
- Bullying is defined as behavior causing a reasonable fear of harm.
- Bullying can occur on school grounds, via electronic technology, or at school-sponsored events.
- Schools must address reported bullying incidents.
- Courts can award attorney fees and damages to successful plaintiffs.
- ‘Prior report’ includes written reports and employee observations of potential bullying.
- ‘Serious physical injury’ is defined using a standard from another Arizona statute.
Who is affected
- Students
- Parents of Students
- Public Schools
- School Employees
- Third-party contractors employed by schools
Notable changes
Bill text
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Sponsors
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1 on record
Primary sponsor
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