Civil Rights & Bullying Compliance Report
The department created the annual Civil Rights and Bullying Compliance Report to collect Title VI, Title IX, and bullying and harassment compliance information. Each local education agency (LEA) must submit the report annually by August 1.
Beginning with the 2021-22 school year, the submission of the annual Civil Rights and Bullying Compliance Report was moved to ePlan. Please see the Announcements page on ePlan and/or Commissioner’s Update for Directors for more details on how to access and submit the form.
Please visit the department's Bullying & Harassment webpage and Civil Rights webpage to learn more about these topics.
Statutes and Regulations
Tennessee Code Annotated §49-6-4501 et al.
Tennessee Code Annotated §49-2-120
Tennessee Code Annotated § 49-50-1801 et al.
State Bullying Compliance Report
State law mandates that the department of education compile all public school districts’ bullying compliance reports and provide it to the General Assembly.
Archived Reports
- 2013 Bullying Compliance Report
- Appendix (with information about each school district)
Civil Rights and Bullying FAQ
Ideally, students, parents, and community members should report to the individual(s) designated by the school or LEA to receive complaints and address bullying. The identity of this individual is likely included in the school district’s Student Handbook. At the beginning of the school year, LEAs should make available to students and parents’ information relative to bullying prevention programs to promote awareness of the harmful effects of bullying and to permit discussion with respect to prevention policies and strategies. (Tenn. Code Ann. 49-6-4503 (c)(2)(A))
Additionally, each LEA must provide the department of education with the identity and contact information for the individual responsible for ensuring the LEA’s compliance with state bullying and harassment laws. Students, parents, and community members can ask or confirm with the LEA’s bullying compliance officer the name of the person responsible for receiving and addressing complaints of bullying at a particular school.
Pursuant to Tenn. Code Ann. § 49-6-4503(c)(2)(B), all LEAs must complete and then submit the civil rights and bullying compliance report to the department of education.
Only one report should be submitted for each LEA and should incorporate the information for the applicable school year(s) for all schools in the school district – including charter schools. (Although an LEA does not directly manage charter schools, the LEA is ultimately responsible for the compliance of all of the LEA’s authorized charter schools.
Yes. Every complaint or grievance of a case of bullying, as defined by Tenn. Code Ann. § 49-6-4502, submitted to the LEA should be reported to the department of education.
Once an individual makes a formal or informal request for help and/or intervention, an LEA should consider it “reported” and include that set of circumstances in its civil rights and bullying compliance report.
Tenn. Code Ann. § 49-6-4503(d)(1) requires a principal of a middle school, junior high school, or high school, or the principal’s designee to “investigate harassment, intimidation, bullying or cyber-bullying when … physical harm or threat of physical harm” has occurred and provide an investigative report and findings to the director of schools and chairman of the board of education. Please refer to your LEA policy to determine if elementary schools are included in your LEA bullying investigation requirements.
Allegations of bullying are fact-specific and LEAs are encouraged to consult with their board attorney for specific guidance.
Possibly. In the annual civil rights and bullying compliance report, the department requests LEAs to report the number of (confirmed) cases of bullying involving race, national origin, or color; sex; and disability, in addition to the number of complaints of Title IV or Title IX discrimination. As such, it is quite possible that a single of set of circumstances will be reported in several areas in the compliance report.
Key Terms
Harassment, intimidation, or bullying are defined as any act that substantially interferes with a student's educational benefits, opportunities or performance; and:
(A) If the act takes place on school grounds, at any school-sponsored activity, on school-provided equipment or transportation or at any official school bus stop, the act has the effect of:
(i) Physically harming a student or damaging a student's property;
(ii) Knowingly placing a student or students in reasonable fear of physical harm to the student or damage to the student's property;
(iii) Causing emotional distress to a student or students; or
(iv) Creating a hostile educational environment; or
(B) If the act takes place off school property or outside of a school-sponsored activity, it is directed specifically at a student or students and has the effect of creating a hostile educational environment or otherwise creating a substantial disruption to the education environment or learning process.
Cyberbullying is bullying that takes place using electronic devices. (Tenn. Code Ann.§ 49-6-4502)
Hazing is any intentional or reckless act in this state, on or off LEA property, by one
(1) student acting alone or with others, that is directed against any other student, that endangers the mental or physical health or safety of that student or that induces or coerces a student to endanger that student's mental or physical health or safety. Hazing does not include customary athletic events or similar contests or competitions and is limited to those actions taken and situations created in connection with initiation into or affiliation with any organization. (Tenn. Code Ann.§ 49-2-120)