Complete these three modules on your own before the live Zoom session. Each module ends with a short quiz that records your completion for your facilitators.
About 3¾ hours total3 modules · A, B, CFacilitators: Greg Johnson, EdD · Jess Meacham, LMSW
Time on the course0:00of 3:00 goal
Start here
How this works
Pay the $50 course fee. Go to www.daemen.edu/dasa and pay online. Save your payment confirmation number. You’ll enter it on the check-in form.
Check in. Fill out the check-in form using your name exactly as it appears in NYS TEACH (Last Name, First Name), and enter your payment confirmation number. Within a minute you’ll get an email with your personal code. Enter your email and that code below to open Module A.
Work through Modules A, B, and C in order. Sections open one at a time. To move on, confirm you read the section and watched any videos, and answer the practice question correctly. Plan on about 45 minutes, 1 hour 50 minutes, and 70 minutes. Modules B and C each include two videos. The Module C quiz opens once you have spent 2 hours 55 minutes on the course.
Take each module's quiz when you finish it. Use the same name and email every time. You'll get your score by email. With 80% or higher, the email includes the code that opens the next module. Below 80%, it lists the questions to review so you can retake the quiz. Retakes are unlimited.
Join your live Zoom session. The live part covers bias, bystanders, intervention, and restorative practices. You must complete both parts to receive credit.
Your facilitators review quiz scores, reflections, and timestamps before reporting completion to TEACH.
Module A
Key Definitions
The Dignity Act uses specific terms. Every certified educator in New York is expected to know what they mean.
≈ 45 minutes3 sections + quiz
A1Who and where the law covers
Before you can decide whether something is a Dignity Act matter, you need to know who the law applies to and where. These definitions come from NYS Education Law §11.
EmployeeAnyone paid by a school district, plus employees of contracted service providers (such as bus companies, food service vendors, and therapy agencies) and workers placed in schools through public assistance programs.
School propertyAny building, athletic field, playground, parking lot, or land within the school's property line, and school buses.
School functionA school-sponsored extracurricular event or activity, including away games, field trips, and dances.
Why this matters: the bus driver, the cafeteria worker from a contracted vendor, and the substitute teacher all have the same reporting duty you do.
Source: NYS Education Law §11 and §1125(3).
A2Protected characteristics
No student may be subjected to discrimination by employees or students based on a person's actual or perceived:
RaceColorWeightNational originEthnic groupReligionReligious practiceDisabilitySexual orientationGenderSex“Actual or perceived”
“Actual or perceived” means a student is protected even when the assumption about them is wrong. A boy harassed because classmates think he is gay is protected whether or not he is.
Race includes traits historically associated with race, including hair texture and protective hairstyles such as braids, locks, and twists. This was added by New York's CROWN Act in 2019. It matters for dress codes and for comments adults make about students' hair.
Gender means actual or perceived sex, and includes a person's gender identity or expression.
Sex refers to the biological and physiological characteristics a person is assigned at birth.
Gender identity is a person's internal sense of their own gender. Others can't see it.
Gender expression is how a person presents their gender: clothing, hairstyle, voice, name, and behavior.
Sexual orientation means actual or perceived heterosexuality, homosexuality, or bisexuality. It is about who a person is attracted to. Gender identity is about who a person is.
Weight is a protected characteristic in New York, which is unusual. Body-based teasing is one of the most common reasons students give for being bullied.
Reading
NYSED, Creating a Safe, Supportive, and Affirming School Environment for Transgender and Gender Expansive Students: 2023 Legal Update and Best Practices. Find it on the NYSED Dignity Act news page. Skim the sections on names and pronouns, privacy, and facilities (about 15 minutes).
Practice · not graded
A middle schooler with locs is told by a coach that his hair looks “sloppy” and “unprofessional” for team photos. Which protected characteristic is most directly involved?
Source: NYS Education Law §§11–12.
A3Harassment, bullying, and cyberbullying
The law defines harassment and bullying as creating a hostile environment through conduct, or through threats, intimidation, or abuse (including cyberbullying), that:
Unreasonably and substantially interferes with a student's educational performance, opportunities, or benefits, or with their mental, emotional, or physical well-being; or
Reasonably causes, or would reasonably be expected to cause, a student to fear for their physical safety; or
Reasonably causes, or would reasonably be expected to cause, physical injury or emotional harm to a student; or
Happens off school property and creates, or would foreseeably create, a risk of substantial disruption at school, where it is foreseeable that the conduct could reach school property.
Two points people often miss:
Harassment and bullying are prohibited whether or not they are based on a protected characteristic.
The fourth part covers off-campus behavior, including a weekend group chat, when it spills into school.
“Cyberbullying” means harassment or bullying through any form of electronic communication.NYS Education Law §11(8)
That includes texts, social media, group chats, gaming platforms, email, and images or videos, including ones edited or generated with AI.
Practice · not graded
On a Saturday, a student posts a cruel edited video of a classmate. By Monday, students are replaying it in the hallway and the classmate won't come to class. Can this fall under the Dignity Act?
Source: NYS Education Law §11(7)–(8); 8 NYCRR 100.2(jj).
Module A quiz · 10 questions + 1 reflection
Record your Module A completion
Use the same name and email you used to check in. Your score and reflection go to your facilitators.
NYS Education Law Article 2 (§§10–18): what the law requires of schools, and what it requires of you.
≈ 1 hr 50 min6 sections · 2 videos + quiz
B1History and purpose
“It is hereby declared to be the policy of New York State to afford all students in public schools an environment free of discrimination and harassment.”NYS Education Law §10
Year
What happened
2010
Signed into law on September 13, 2010.
2012
Took effect July 1, 2012. Amended the same year (Chapter 102) to add cyberbullying, off-campus conduct, and reporting and investigation requirements.
2013
The 2012 amendments took effect July 1, 2013.
2019
CROWN Act: race includes hair texture and protective hairstyles.
2023
NYSED issued updated guidance on supporting transgender and gender-expansive students.
2025
The Attorney General and Education Commissioner issued joint guidance on harassment at school board meetings. Statewide bell-to-bell smartphone restrictions began in September.
Sources: NYSED Dignity Act pages; NYS Education Law Article 2; Office of the Governor (2025).
B2Where the law applies
Public schools, BOCES, and charter schoolsPrivate, religious, and denominational schools are not covered.
On school propertyBuildings, fields, playgrounds, parking lots, and school buses.
At school functionsSchool-sponsored extracurricular events and activities, home or away.
Off campus, when it affects schoolConduct, including cyberbullying, that creates or would foreseeably create a risk of substantial disruption at school.
The law protects students from harassment, bullying, and discrimination by other students and by employees. A teacher's repeated comments about a student's weight or hair are covered the same way a classmate's would be.
Video
Teacher/Bully
Stuart Chaifetz, 2012
Content note: Contains upsetting audio of adults verbally abusing a child.
A New Jersey father sent his 10-year-old son, who has autism, to school with a hidden recorder. It captured the teacher and aide mocking and yelling at him. Pay attention to how adults’ words alone can create a hostile environment.
As you watch: If you had been in that classroom, what would your reporting duty have been under DASA, and by when?
B3What districts must do
Code of conductInclude an age-appropriate, plain-language version of the Dignity Act policy and post it on the district website.
Board policiesCreate policies and procedures for preventing, reporting, investigating, and responding to harassment, bullying, and discrimination.
Staff trainingTrain employees to recognize, prevent, and respond to incidents, including through nondiscriminatory instruction and counseling.
InstructionUnder Education Law §801-a, teach civility, citizenship, and character education in grades K–12, including awareness of and sensitivity to discrimination and diversity.
The Dignity Act Coordinator (DAC)
Every school must have at least one employee trained as the Dignity Act Coordinator.
The DAC is thoroughly trained in human relations across all the protected characteristics.
An existing staff member can serve. No new hire is required.
The DAC must be available to students, staff, and parents, and their name and contact information must be publicized (for example, in the code of conduct, on the website, and in handbooks).
Reporting data to the state
A material incident is a single verified incident, or a series of related verified incidents, of harassment, bullying, or discrimination by a student or employee. Schools report material incidents to NYSED every year. DASA builds on the 2000 SAVE Act (Safe Schools Against Violence in Education), which set requirements for codes of conduct and school safety plans.
Activity
Find the code of conduct for a district where you work or hope to work. Locate its Dignity Act section and the name of a school's DAC. You'll be asked about this in the Module B quiz reflection (about 15 minutes).
This is the part of the law that applies to you personally, every school day.
You witness it or someone tells you about it. The report can come from a student, a parent, a colleague, or anyone else, and it can be about something that happened online.
Report orally within one school day. Tell the principal, superintendent, or their designee promptly, and no later than one school day after you witnessed it or heard about it.
File a written report within two school days after that. The deadline counts from your oral report, not from the incident.
The principal or designee investigates. They lead or supervise a prompt, thorough investigation.
The school responds. It takes prompt action reasonably calculated to end the behavior, eliminate any hostile environment, prevent it from happening again, and ensure the targeted student's safety. Law enforcement is notified when the principal or designee believes the conduct is criminal.
A good response doesn't punish the target. Moving the targeted student to a new class or bus is not a fix. Change the routine of the student who is doing the bullying.
Practice · not graded
You overhear the harassment on a Thursday and tell your principal Friday morning. When is your written report due?
Source: NYS Education Law §13(1)(c)–(e).
B5Protection for reporters, and federal law
District policy must prohibit retaliation against anyone who, in good faith, reports or helps investigate harassment, bullying, or discrimination.
Anyone who reports in good faith and with reasonable care is immune from civil liability for making the report (Education Law §16).
Students need to see that reporting is safe. Fewer than half of bullied students tell an adult at school.
Federal civil rights laws still apply
Harassment based on race, color, or national origin can violate Title VI of the Civil Rights Act.
Harassment based on sex can violate Title IX.
Disability-based harassment can violate Section 504 and the ADA, and can deny a student a free appropriate public education.
A district can violate federal law when serious harassment is encouraged, tolerated, not adequately addressed, or ignored by staff.
Video · about 29 minutes
Bullied: The Jamie Nabozny Story
Teaching Tolerance (Southern Poverty Law Center)
Content note: Describes physical and sexual assault.
Jamie Nabozny was harassed and assaulted for years at his Wisconsin schools for being gay, and administrators did nothing. In Nabozny v. Podlesny (1996), a federal appeals court ruled that school officials could be held liable, and the district paid a settlement of nearly $1 million.
As you watch: Which of the school’s responses (or non-responses) would violate the Dignity Act today?
Sources: NYS Education Law §§13, 16; U.S. Department of Education, Office for Civil Rights; StopBullying.gov.
B6Scenarios: is it a Dignity Act matter?
Decide for yourself before you open each explanation.
Two friends trade jokes at lunch. Both are laughing, they take turns, and either one stops when the other asks.Probably not. This is mutual teasing with no power imbalance and no one being hurt. Keep an eye on it, because teasing can turn into bullying (Module C).A paraprofessional regularly jokes in front of the class about a student's weight.Yes. Weight is a protected characteristic, and employees are covered. Any employee who witnesses this must report it within one school day.A student is repeatedly shoved into lockers by an older, bigger student. There is no link to any protected characteristic.Yes. Bullying is prohibited whether or not it is based on a protected characteristic, and physical injury or fear for safety meets the definition.A student at a private Catholic school is harassed about her religion.DASA doesn't apply, because private and religious schools are exempt. The school may still have its own policies, and other laws may apply.
You'll see two more scenarios in the Module B quiz.
Module B quiz · 13 questions + 1 reflection
Record your Module B completion
Have your DAC research from section B3 ready. The reflection asks about it.
What bullying is, what it isn't, how it looks in person and online, and the signs to watch for.
≈ 70 minutes6 sections · 2 videos + quiz
C1By the numbers
19%of students ages 12–18 were bullied at school in 2021–22
25–27%of students in grades 6–8 were bullied, the highest of any grade
22%of bullied students were bullied online or by text
44%of bullied students told an adult at school
Most bullying happens where adults are nearby. Among bullied students, 39% were bullied in a classroom and 37% in a hallway or stairwell. The most common forms were being the subject of rumors (13% of all students) and being made fun of or called names (12%).
The CDC's 2023 Youth Risk Behavior Survey found that about 1 in 5 high school students were bullied on school property in the past year, and more than 1 in 6 were bullied electronically.
Sources: NCES, School Crime Supplement 2022 (Condition of Education 2024); CDC YRBS 2023.
C2What bullying is
Researchers define bullying as unwanted, aggressive behavior among school-aged children that involves a real or perceived power imbalance and is repeated, or has the potential to be repeated. Power can come from size, popularity, numbers, or access to embarrassing information, and it can shift between the same students over time.
The legal definition you learned in Module A is broader. Under the Dignity Act, a single serious incident can be a material incident.
Video
Students Mock Bus Aide Until She Weeps
WIVB News 4, 2012
Content note: Contains profanity and cruel language.
Middle school students in Greece, NY, filmed themselves taunting their 68-year-old bus monitor, Karen Klein, until she cried. DASA protects students, not staff, but the video shows how a group creates a power imbalance and how bystanders join in.
As you watch: How could you use a video like this with the grade level you teach?
Form
What it looks like
Flaming
Online fights with angry, vulgar messages
Harassment
Repeatedly sending offensive, rude, or insulting messages
Denigration
Posting cruel gossip or rumors to damage someone's reputation or friendships
Impersonation
Posing as someone, or making a fake account, to post things that get them in trouble
Outing & trickery
Sharing someone's secrets or private images, or tricking them into revealing information that then gets shared
Exclusion
Deliberately leaving someone out of group chats, servers, or games
Cyberstalking
Repeated threats or intimidation that make someone fear for their safety
Recorded assaults
Filming a physical attack and spreading the video
AI images & deepfakes
Creating fake, humiliating, or sexual images of a real student
If a student shows you a sexual image of a minor, even a fake one: don't save, screenshot, or forward it. Report it to administration right away. It may be a crime.
Sextortion and AI “nudify” images
Sextortion is when someone, often an adult stranger posing as a teen, gets a student to send a sexual image and then threatens to share it unless the student pays or sends more. The FBI reports that the most common targets are boys ages 14 to 17, and that some victims have died by suicide. Students are also using AI apps to make fake nude images of classmates, which can be just as harmful as real ones.
What to say to the student“You are not in trouble. You did the right thing by telling me. We’re going to get help right now.” Shame keeps students silent, and the threats rely on that.
What to doDon’t view, save, or forward the image. Report to administration immediately. Tell the student not to pay or send anything else, and not to delete the messages. Families can use NCMEC’s free Take It Down tool, and reports go to the CyberTipline or the FBI.
The federal TAKE IT DOWN Act (2025) makes it a crime to knowingly publish intimate images of a person without consent, including AI-generated ones, and requires websites and apps to remove them within 48 hours of a valid request.
New York has restricted smartphones in schools from bell to bell since September 2025. That reduces some incidents during the school day, but most cyberbullying happens after hours, and it's still a Dignity Act matter when it disrupts school.
Sources: adapted from Nancy Willard, Center for Safe and Responsible Internet Use; NYS Education Law §11; Office of the Governor (2025); FBI, “The Financially Motivated Sextortion Threat”; TAKE IT DOWN Act (2025).
C4Teasing or bullying?
TeasingGood-natured give-and-take between friends. Everyone is laughing and taking turns. It isn't aimed at one person over and over, and it stops right away when someone asks.
BullyingBased on a power imbalance and meant to hurt. One person is the target, it keeps going when they're upset, and it often goes after things they can't control, such as disability, race, faith, body, or identity.
Skills worth teaching students:
Friendship skills. You control only half of a relationship. “No” is a complete answer.
Telling vs. tattling. Tattling tries to get someone into trouble. Telling tries to get someone out of trouble or danger.
Stopping a rumor. Before you say it, ask: Is it true? Is it necessary? Is it kind?
Bias-based bullyingSchools are seeing more harassment tied to religion, national origin, and race, including antisemitic, anti-Muslim, anti-Asian, anti-Black, and anti-immigrant slurs, symbols, and “jokes.” These all target Dignity Act protected categories. Treat them as seriously as any threat, even when a student says it was “just a joke.”
HazingHumiliating or dangerous things students are pressured to do to join or stay on a team, club, or group. “Tradition” and “everyone agreed to it” are not defenses. Coaches and advisors are school employees with the same duty to report.
Practice · not graded
Which detail most clearly tells you that teasing has become bullying?
C5Warning signs
A student may be bulliedUnexplained injuries · lost or destroyed clothing, books, or devices · changes in eating or sleeping · declining grades or avoiding school · withdrawing from friends · avoiding their phone · self-harm or talk of hurting themselves
A student may be bullying othersFrequent physical or verbal fights · often sent to the office · friends who bully others · growing aggression · unexplained money or new belongings · preoccupied with popularity
If a student talks about self-harm or suicide, follow your district's crisis protocol right away. Don't wait for the DASA reporting timeline.
Suicide warning signsTalking about wanting to die or being a burden · saying things like “it won’t matter soon” · giving away belongings · pulling away from everyone · sudden calm after a hard stretch · searching for ways to hurt themselves
What you doAsk directly: “Are you thinking about suicide?” Asking does not put the idea in their head. Never promise to keep it secret. Stay with the student and walk them to the counselor, psychologist, or administrator. Anyone can call or text 988, the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.
Students with disabilities are bullied at higher rates. If a student with an IEP or 504 plan is being bullied, report it under the Dignity Act and let the student's IEP or 504 team know. Bullying can keep a student from getting the education their plan guarantees, and the team may need to meet and change supports. The response should never be to move or limit the target instead of addressing the bullying.
Why do students bully? Often because it works: it brings attention, status, or control. Many students who bully have been bullied themselves, have experienced trauma, or are struggling at home. They need clear consequences and support, such as counseling, skill-building, and adults who check in. Punishment alone rarely changes the behavior.
Sources: StopBullying.gov; 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline; U.S. Department of Education, Office for Civil Rights and OSERS guidance on bullying of students with disabilities (2013–2014).
C6Before the live session
The live Zoom session builds on what you've learned here. We'll look at bias and perspective, microaggressions, the roles bystanders play, how adults should respond in the moment, and restorative practices.
Rename yourself on Zoom as “Last Name, First Name,” exactly as in TEACH.
Plan to keep your camera on and take part in the chat and discussions.
Think of one situation where you saw bullying or teasing, and how the adults responded. The Module C reflection asks about this.
Module C quiz · 13 questions + 1 reflection
Record your Module C completion
This is the last self-paced step. Once your facilitators see all three quizzes, you're ready for the live session.
Time on the course so far: of your 3-hour goal.
You've finished the self-paced part. Your facilitators will confirm your quiz results. See you at the live session!