The complete 6-hour training, entirely online and on your own schedule. There is no Zoom class. Each module ends with a short quiz that records your completion for your facilitators.
At least 6 hours total6 modules · A–FFacilitators: Greg Johnson, EdD · Jess Meacham, LMSW
Time on the course0:00of 6:00 goal
Start here
How this works
Pay the $50 course fee. Go to www.daemen.edu/dasa and pay online. For the class date, choose the Class Payment Date in your registration email. That date is only for payment. 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 through F 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 an hour per module. You can stop anytime and pick up where you left off. Each quiz opens after a minimum time on the course: A at 40 minutes, B at 1 hour 50 minutes, C at 2 hours 55 minutes, D at 3 hours 55 minutes, E at 4 hours 55 minutes, and F at 5 hours 55 minutes. If you finish early, the quiz box suggests activities for the remaining time, and that time counts.
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.
Finish by passing all six quizzes. The day you pass the Module F quiz is your completion date. That date goes on your certificate and in NYS TEACH. Your facilitators review your work and report your completion, usually within 48 hours.
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 minutes5 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).
A4Case study: Davis v. Monroe County Board of Education (1999)
LaShonda Davis was a fifth grader in Monroe County, Georgia. For about five months, a classmate sexually harassed her with repeated unwanted touching and vulgar comments. LaShonda and her mother reported each incident to her teachers, and her mother also spoke with the principal. The school did not discipline the classmate, and LaShonda was not even allowed to move her seat away from him for three months. Her grades fell, and her father found a suicide note she had written. The harassment ended only after the classmate was charged with, and pleaded guilty to, sexual battery.
Her mother sued the school board under Title IX, the federal law that bans sex discrimination in schools that receive federal funds. In a 5–4 decision, the U.S. Supreme Court held that a district can be liable for student-on-student harassment when:
school officials have actual knowledge of the harassment,
the district is deliberately indifferent to it (its response is clearly unreasonable), and
the harassment is so severe, pervasive, and objectively offensive that it denies the student equal access to education.
Why it matters for DASA:Davis sets a federal floor, and it is a high bar. The Dignity Act asks more of New York schools. You don't wait until harassment is "severe and pervasive." You report within one school day, the school investigates, and it acts to end the behavior and prevent it from happening again. A district could clear the Davis bar and still fail its Dignity Act duties.
Practice · not graded
Under the Dignity Act, when should a teacher in LaShonda's school have reported the first incident her mother described?
Source: Davis v. Monroe County Board of Education, 526 U.S. 629 (1999); NYS Education Law §13.
A5Apply it: is this covered?
Decide whether the Dignity Act covers each situation before you open it. Use the definitions from A1–A3.
Students on the opposing team harass one of your players with comments about his race during an away basketball game.Covered. A school-sponsored game is a school function, even when it takes place off school property.At 10 p.m., from home, a student sends classmates group texts mocking another student's disability. The next week, that student stops coming to school.Covered. Off-campus cyberbullying is covered when it creates, or would foreseeably create, a risk of substantial disruption at school and could foreseeably reach school property. A student missing school because of it meets that bar.A cafeteria worker employed by a food service vendor regularly jokes about a student's religious head covering in the lunch line.Covered. Employees of contracted vendors count as employees under the Dignity Act, and religion and religious practice are protected characteristics.Two students argue at a private weekend party with no link to school. Nothing about it reaches school or affects either student there.Likely not covered. There is no school property, no school function, and no foreseeable disruption at school. If it later spills into school, it becomes a Dignity Act matter.A student is teased every day about her weight. No other characteristic is involved.Covered. Weight is a protected characteristic in New York. And even without one, bullying that meets the definition in A3 is still prohibited.
Practice · not graded
Classmates repeatedly call a boy a slur for being gay. He tells you he isn't gay. Does the Dignity Act still protect him?
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.
Use your remaining time (it counts toward your 6 hours):
Read the Supreme Court's summary of Davis (about 10 min)
Read the official syllabus at Cornell Law School's Legal Information Institute. Note the reason the Court gave for limiting liability to "deliberate indifference" and one argument from the dissent. How does the Dignity Act go further than the majority?
Find your district's DASA reporting form (about 10 min)
Search the website of a district where you work or hope to work for its Dignity Act incident reporting form (it's often linked from the Dignity Act or code of conduct page). Note where you found it, three things it asks for, and who receives it.
NYS Education Law Article 2 (§§10–18): what the law requires of schools, and what it requires of you.
≈ 1 hr 10 min8 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.
B7What would you do?
Three situations you could face in your first week. Choose the best response. You can try again until you get it.
Scenario 1
Between classes, you hear three students calling a classmate a slur about his religion. It's the second time this week. When you walk over, he says, "It's fine, they're just joking." What do you do?
Scenario 2
After class, a student tells you about a group chat where classmates post memes mocking her learning disability. She begs, "Please don't tell anyone. It'll get worse." What do you do?
Scenario 3
In the staff room, a colleague mimics the accent of a recently arrived student and laughs that he "answers like that" in class. An aide mentions that students have started copying it. What do you do?
B8Write it up: practice an incident report
A clear written report helps the principal or DAC act fast. Practice one now (about 15 minutes).
The incident. Tuesday, 11:40 a.m., in the cafeteria. You see two eighth graders, Jordan and Eli, block Sam from sitting at a table. Jordan says, "No [slur about sexual orientation] at this table," and Eli films it on his phone while others laugh. Sam leaves without eating. You tell Jordan and Eli to stop and send them to the assistant principal. A lunch monitor tells you this has happened "a few times."
Write a report that covers each of these. If your district has its own form, use that instead.
Date, time, and location
Students involved (target, students doing the bullying, witnesses)
What you saw and heard, word for word
Any protected characteristic involved
Any recording or online part
What you did right away
Who you reported to, and when (oral and written)
Compare with a model report
Tuesday, 11:40 a.m., cafeteria. Jordan and Eli (grade 8) physically blocked Sam (grade 8) from sitting at a table. Jordan said, "No [exact word] at this table." Eli recorded it on his phone. About five other students laughed. Sam left the cafeteria without eating. The slur refers to sexual orientation, a protected characteristic. A video exists and may be shared online. I told Jordan and Eli to stop and sent them to the assistant principal. Lunch monitor Ms. R. reports similar incidents "a few times" before. I reported orally to the principal at 12:15 p.m. today and am submitting this written report today.
Notice: facts, not opinions; the exact words; the video, so the school can deal with it before it spreads; and the earlier incidents, which may make this a pattern.
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.
Use your remaining time (it counts toward your 6 hours):
Extra scenario: the field trip (about 8 min)
On a museum field trip, you overhear a parent chaperone tell a student wearing a pride pin to "keep that stuff at home." The student looks upset. Is this a Dignity Act matter? What do you do on the trip, and what do you do when you get back to school? Write your answer, then compare:
A field trip is a school function. Step in on the spot, make sure the student is okay, and report to the principal or designee within one school day so the school can address the volunteer's conduct and support the student.
Practice the reporting timeline (about 7 min)
For each, work out the oral and written deadlines. Assume a Monday–Friday school week with no holidays.
You witness harassment Monday at 2 p.m.
A parent emails you about a group chat on Friday evening.
You see an incident Wednesday and report orally Thursday morning.
Answers: (1) oral by end of Tuesday; written within two school days after your oral report. (2) Friday evening isn't a school day, so report orally no later than Monday (the safest choice is first thing Monday); written within two school days after that. (3) Written by end of Monday (two school days after Thursday).
What bullying is, what it isn't, how it looks in person and online, and the signs to watch for.
≈ 1 hr 5 min8 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).
C6Case: reading the warning signs
Use what you learned in C5 (about 12 minutes).
Marcus, grade 7. Over the past month, his teachers have noticed that his grades in two classes dropped from B's to D's, he shows up at your room early every day and asks to eat lunch there, he has "lost" his calculator and his headphones, he goes to the nurse with stomachaches on gym days, and he goes quiet when a certain group walks past.
Before you open the model response, jot down: (1) which of these could be signs of bullying, (2) the first thing you would do, and (3) who else you would bring in.
Compare with a model response
Signs: all five. Avoiding the cafeteria and the gym (places with less supervision), lost belongings, physical complaints on certain days, falling grades, and fear around one group form a pattern together.
First step: a private, low-pressure check-in. "I've noticed you've been coming here at lunch. I'm glad you do. Is anything going on at lunch or in gym?" Listen, and don't promise secrecy.
Bring in: if he describes bullying or harassment, report it to the principal or designee on the Dignity Act timeline. Share the pattern with the school counselor, and ask the gym teacher and lunch staff to watch more closely. If he says anything about hurting himself, follow your district's crisis protocol right away.
C7Responding in the moment
When you see or hear bullying, a quick response that follows four steps works better than a lecture.
Stop it. "Stop. That's not okay."
Name it. "Calling someone that word is harassment, and it isn't allowed here."
Support the target. Privately: "Are you okay? Let's talk after class."
Report it. Tell the principal or designee within one school day, then file the written report within two school days after that.
Practice (about 8 minutes). Write exactly what you would say, using the four steps, to each of these:
"Ew, don't let him sit here. He smells like curry."
A student mimics a classmate's stutter during a presentation.
"That's so gay," said about a worksheet.
Practice · not graded
You stop a student's comment and check in with the target, who says they're fine. What's left to do?
C8Halfway there
You've covered the definitions, the law, and what bullying looks like. The second half builds on it: bias and perspective, microaggressions, the roles bystanders play, how adults should respond, and restorative practices.
Think of one situation where you saw bullying or teasing, and how the adults responded. The Module C reflection asks about this.
Take a break if you need one. Your progress is saved on this device, and your most recent code lets you pick up on another device.
Module C quiz · 13 questions + 1 reflection
Record your Module C completion
Pass this quiz to open Module D.
Use your remaining time (it counts toward your 6 hours):
Write your story (about 10 min)
C8 asks you to think of a time you saw bullying or teasing. Write it down now: what happened, how adults responded, and what you would do differently after this course. You'll be ready for the Module C reflection.
Explore StopBullying.gov's guidance for schools (about 10 min)
Browse the prevention section at StopBullying.gov. Pick one strategy your school or program doesn't use yet and write two sentences on how you could start it.
How bias, often unintended, shows up in what adults notice, say, and do, and how small moments add up for students.
≈ 1 hour5 sections · 2 videos + quiz
D1Perspective and bias
Everyone sees the world through their own experiences. That perspective helps us make quick decisions, but it can also lead us to treat people differently without meaning to.
Explicit biasAttitudes a person knows they hold and could tell you about. A slur or a stated belief that one group is less capable.
Implicit biasAutomatic associations a person may not be aware of. They can shape who we call on, who we watch more closely, and whose behavior we read as a threat.
Implicit bias is common, and having it doesn't make someone a bad educator. What matters is noticing it and building habits that keep it from deciding how students are treated.
Where it shows up in schools
Discipline. In one study, teachers read about a student's two minor misbehaviors. When the student had a stereotypically Black name, teachers were more troubled by the second offense and more likely to see the student as a troublemaker than when the name was stereotypically white.
Expectations. Who gets recommended for advanced classes, who gets a second chance, and whose questions get a full answer.
Dress codes and appearance. Rules about hair, head coverings, or clothing that fall harder on some groups. Recall from Module A that New York's definition of race includes hair texture and protective hairstyles.
Stereotype threat. When students worry they'll confirm a negative stereotype about their group, their performance on a test can drop, even when they're well prepared.
Why this is a Dignity Act topic: NYSED requires DASA training to address bias and how it can lead to harassment, bullying, and discrimination. Biased treatment by an employee based on a protected characteristic can itself be discrimination.
Try it
Before you continue, think about the last time you corrected a student's behavior. Would you have responded the same way to a student of a different race, gender, size, or disability? There's no need to write it down; just notice what comes up.
Practice · not graded
Which is the best example of implicit bias?
Sources: Okonofua & Eberhardt, Psychological Science (2015); Steele & Aronson, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology (1995); 8 NYCRR 80-1.13.
D2Microaggressions
Microaggressions are “brief and commonplace daily verbal, behavioral, or environmental indignities, whether intentional or unintentional, that communicate hostile, derogatory, or negative” slights and insults.Sue et al., American Psychologist (2007)
One comment can seem small. A student who hears versions of it every day carries the weight of all of them. Researchers describe three kinds:
Type
What it is
School example
Microassault
Deliberate, often meant to hurt
A “joke” drawing of a racist symbol left on a student's notebook
Microinsult
Rude or insensitive, often unintended
“You're so articulate” said with surprise to a Black student; “Who helped you with this?”
Microinvalidation
Dismisses someone's identity or experience
“Where are you really from?” to a student born in Buffalo; “I don't see color”; refusing to use a student's name
Video · about 2 minutes
What Kind of Asian Are You?
helpmefindparents (comedy sketch)
A short comedy sketch that flips a familiar conversation. Notice how the questions that seem friendly to the person asking land on the person being asked.
As you watch: What assumptions sit underneath each question? Which type of microaggression is it?
Practice · not graded
A teacher tells a student who uses a wheelchair, “You're such an inspiration for just showing up.” What kind of microaggression is this?
D3Names, pronouns, and belonging
Some of the most common microaggressions happen around a student's name and identity. They're also some of the easiest to fix.
Names. Learn to say every student's name correctly. Ask privately, practice, and don't shorten or “Americanize” a name unless the student asks you to.
Pronouns and chosen names. NYSED guidance says schools should use the name and pronouns a student asks for, and keep a student's gender identity private unless the student agrees to share it.
Curriculum and space. Students notice whether people like them appear in what they read, on the walls, and in examples.
What LGBTQ students report
68%felt unsafe at school because of a personal characteristic
58%heard homophobic remarks from teachers or other staff
10%said teachers stepped in when they saw anti-LGBTQ verbal harassment
96%could name at least one supportive adult at school
The last number matters most. One adult who notices, speaks up, and follows through can change a student's whole experience of school.
Practice · not graded
A new student's name is Nguyễn Thị Thu. On the first day, a colleague says, “I'll just call you Sue, it's easier.” What's the best response?
Sources: GLSEN, 2021 National School Climate Survey (data from 2020–21); NYSED, Creating a Safe, Supportive, and Affirming School Environment for Transgender and Gender Expansive Students (2023).
D4Speaking up, and owning your own mistakes
Video · about 4 minutes
The Danger of Silence
Clint Smith, TED
A teacher and poet on why staying quiet when something is wrong teaches students that it's acceptable, and on what his students taught him about speaking up.
As you watch: Think of a time you stayed silent at school. What did students learn from that?
When you hear a microaggression
Pause it. “Hold on. Can you say more about what you meant?” A question gives the speaker a chance to reconsider.
Name the impact. “I know you didn't mean it that way, but that comment suggests ___.” Focus on the effect, not the person's character.
Check on the student. Privately: “I heard that. It wasn't okay, and I'm glad you're here.”
Report when it meets the definition. Repeated comments about a protected characteristic, or a single serious one, can be harassment or discrimination. Report it on the Dignity Act timeline.
When you're the one who said it
Everyone makes mistakes. When a student or colleague tells you something you said hurt, try: “Thank you for telling me. I'm sorry. I'll do better.” Then do better. Avoid defending your intent or explaining why you didn't mean it; the student already knows what it felt like.
A colleague, in front of students: “Your English is really good!” to a student born in Rochester.
A student, to a classmate in a hijab: “Aren't you hot in that thing?” Others laugh.
You call a student by the wrong name for the third time, and she rolls her eyes.
Compare with model responses
1. Privately with your colleague: “I know you meant it as a compliment, but he was born here. It can sound like he doesn't belong.” Check in with the student later.
2. “Stop. Comments about someone's religious clothing aren't okay here.” Then privately to the student: “Are you okay? I've got your back.” If it's part of a pattern, report it.
3. “I'm sorry, I keep getting your name wrong. That's on me, and I'll get it right.” Then practice it.
D5Apply it: bias or not?
Decide before you open each one.
A teacher always seats the same three Latino boys by her desk “so she can keep an eye on them,” though they haven't broken any rules.Likely bias. Treating students as a problem based on a group they belong to sends a message to them and to everyone watching. Seating should be based on behavior and learning needs.A coach makes a heavier player run extra laps “to motivate him” while calling him “big guy” in front of the team.Covered. Weight is a protected characteristic, and the coach is an employee. Repeated comments like these can create a hostile environment. Report it.A teacher uses a student's chosen name in class but her legal name in an email to the student's family, at the student's request.Appropriate. The teacher followed the student's wishes about privacy. NYSED guidance supports asking the student how to handle communication with home.During a lesson on immigration, a student says, “They should all go back.” The teacher moves on without comment.A missed moment. Silence can read as agreement. A short response, such as “Many people in this room have family who came here. Let's look at the facts together,” keeps the class safe and keeps learning going.
Module D quiz · 12 questions + 1 reflection
Record your Module D completion
Use the same name and email you used to check in.
Use your remaining time (it counts toward your 6 hours):
Audit one lesson or space (about 10 min)
Pick one lesson, bulletin board, or reading list you use. Who is represented, and who is missing? Write one change you could make.
Read NYSED's guidance on names and pronouns (about 10 min)
From the NYSED Dignity Act news page, open the 2023 guidance on transgender and gender expansive students and read the section on names and pronouns. Note one thing your school does well and one it could improve.
Most bullying happens in front of other people. What students and adults do in those moments, and afterward, decides what happens next.
≈ 1 hour5 sections · 1 video + quiz
E1The roles people play
Bullying is a group event. Researchers studying classrooms found that most students take on a role, even if they never throw a punch or type a word.
AssistantJoins in once someone else starts.
ReinforcerLaughs, cheers, films, or shares. Gives the student doing the bullying an audience.
OutsiderStays out of it or walks away. Often reads to others as approval.
DefenderSupports the target, tells the student to stop, or gets an adult.
88%of playground bullying episodes had peers watching
19%of episodes had a peer step in
57%of peer interventions stopped the bullying within 10 seconds
Peers are almost always there, rarely act, and usually succeed when they do. That makes bystanders the biggest untapped resource a school has.
Practice · not graded
A student records a fight on her phone and posts it, but never touches anyone. Which role is she playing?
Sources: Salmivalli et al., Aggressive Behavior (1996); Hawkins, Pepler & Craig, Social Development (2001).
E2Helping students become upstanders
Students usually know bullying is wrong. They stay quiet because they're afraid of becoming the next target, think it's not their business, assume someone else will act, or believe adults won't do anything.
Video · about 2 minutes
Stop, Walk, Talk
Tucson Unified School District
A short student-facing video that teaches a three-step response used in many schools' Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) programs.
As you watch: How would you adapt this for the age group you work with?
Stop. Students use a shared signal and say “Stop” when they're the target or see someone else targeted.
Walk. If it continues, walk away. This removes the audience.
Talk. Tell an adult. Adults have to respond every time, or students learn that telling doesn't work.
Safe ways for students to help (not every student will confront someone, and they shouldn't have to):
Don't laugh, share, or join in.
Help the target leave: “Hey, Ms. Ruiz needs you.”
Check on the target afterward and include them.
Tell a trusted adult, or use the school's anonymous reporting option.
Practice · not graded
A student tells you, “I didn't say anything because nobody else did.” Which barrier is this?
E3When the bystander is an adult
In GLSEN's national survey, only about 1 in 10 LGBTQ students said teachers stepped in when they saw anti-LGBTQ verbal harassment. Students watch adults closely. An adult who hears a slur and says nothing teaches the whole room that it's allowed.
You learned the four in-the-moment steps in Module C: stop it, name it, support the target, report it. A few more things matter when you respond:
DoStay calm. Separate the students. Get help if anyone is hurt or in danger. Write down exactly what you saw and heard. Follow up with the target within a day or two.
Don'tQuestion the students in front of each other. Make them apologize or “shake hands” on the spot. Use peer mediation for bullying. Call both families in together. Tell the target to just ignore it.
Why not mediation? Mediation assumes two sides with equal power who share responsibility. In bullying, the power is unequal, and putting the target face to face with the student bullying them can make the target feel worse and less safe.
When an adult is the one doing it
Staff-to-student harassment is covered by the Dignity Act, and it often goes unreported because colleagues don't want conflict. Your duty is the same: report it to the principal or designee within one school day. You may also speak to your colleague, but that doesn't replace the report.
Practice · not graded
You break up a hallway incident where one student has been taunting another for weeks. What should you do next?
Sources: StopBullying.gov, “Respond to Bullying” and “Prevention at School”; GLSEN, 2021 National School Climate Survey.
E4After the moment: support, follow-up, and families
Supporting the student who was targeted
Tell them it isn't their fault and that you'll help. Explain what happens next.
Ask what would help them feel safe: a trusted adult to check in with, a different route between classes, a safe place at lunch. Changes should be their choice, not a punishment.
Check in again over the next few weeks. Bullying often continues quietly after the first report.
Connect them with the school counselor, and with the IEP or 504 team if they have a disability.
Responding to the student who did the bullying
Follow the code of conduct, with consequences that fit the behavior and are applied consistently.
Pair consequences with teaching: what was wrong, how it affected others, and what to do instead.
Look for causes. Students who bully may be struggling themselves and may need counseling or support.
Talking with families
Meet with each family separately.
Share the facts and what the school is doing for their child.
Don't share another student's discipline. Student privacy laws (FERPA) generally prohibit it, even when a parent asks.
Ask families to tell you if things continue, including online.
Practice · not graded
The parent of a student who was bullied demands to know what punishment the other student got. What do you say?
Sources: StopBullying.gov; U.S. Department of Education, Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA).
E5What would you do?
Choose the best response. You can try again until you get it.
Scenario 1
During a group project, you notice one student is always left out. When you ask, the others say she “doesn't fit in.” She has been absent more often lately.
Scenario 2
A student shows you a group chat where classmates rank girls' bodies. Several students in your class are in the chat.
Scenario 3
A colleague jokes in the hallway, within earshot of students, that a student with autism “belongs in a zoo.”
Module E quiz · 12 questions + 1 reflection
Record your Module E completion
Use the same name and email you used to check in.
Use your remaining time (it counts toward your 6 hours):
Map your school's hot spots (about 10 min)
List the places in your building where adults are fewest: stairwells, bathrooms, the bus line, the cafeteria corners, the locker room. For each, write one way to add supervision or structure.
Plan a bystander lesson (about 10 min)
Outline a 15-minute lesson that teaches students one safe way to help a target. Include the signal or words they'll use and how they can reach an adult.
As you watch: Count the opportunities. How many did the adults take, and how many did they miss?
The CDC identifies school connectedness, students' sense that adults at school care about them, as a major protective factor for young people's health and safety. Small, steady habits build it: greeting students by name at the door, noticing when someone is missing, and asking about their lives outside school.
Try it
Two minutes for ten days. Pick one student you find hard to reach. For ten school days in a row, spend two minutes talking with them about anything other than schoolwork. Many teachers find it changes the relationship.
Sources: TED; Atlanta Speech School; CDC, School Connectedness.
F2Prevention across the school
Prevention works best when the whole school shares it, not when one teacher carries it alone.
Tier
Who
What it looks like
Tier 1
All students
A few clear, positive expectations taught like any lesson; adults supervising hot spots; community-building circles; social-emotional learning
Tier 2
Some students
Small-group skill building, check-in/check-out with a mentor, extra supervision for students at risk
Tier 3
A few students
Individual plans, counseling, family partnership, outside services
This is the structure of Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS), used in many New York schools. Social-emotional learning (SEL) teaches the skills underneath it: managing emotions, understanding others' perspectives, and solving problems. NYSED has published SEL benchmarks for grades K–12.
Supervise the hot spots. Module C showed that bullying happens most in classrooms and hallways. Stand in your doorway during passing time.
Teach, don't just post, the rules. Students learn expectations by practicing them, the same way they learn math.
Use your data. Material incident reports, surveys, and nurse visits show where and when problems happen.
Practice · not graded
A middle school wants to reduce bullying in its stairwells. Which is a Tier 1 strategy?
Sources: Center on PBIS (pbis.org); NYSED, Social Emotional Learning: Essential for Learning, Essential for Life and SEL Benchmarks (2018); StopBullying.gov.
F3Restorative practices
Restorative practices focus on relationships: building them before problems happen, and repairing them after harm. Instead of asking only “What rule was broken, and what's the punishment?”, they ask “Who was harmed, and what needs to happen to make it right?”
Done TO studentsHigh control, low support. Punishment without connection.
Done FOR studentsHigh support, low control. Excuses without accountability.
NOT doneLow control, low support. Ignoring the problem.
Done WITH studentsHigh expectations and high support. This is the restorative approach.
Restorative questions
When responding to harm, ask the student who caused it:
What happened?
What were you thinking about at the time?
What have you thought about since?
Who has been affected by what you did? In what way?
What do you think you need to do to make things right?
Video · about 10 minutes
Tier One Community Building Circle
Restorative Justice in Oakland Schools · Stories Matter Media
Students at an Oakland high school lead a classroom circle. Notice the structure: a talking piece, shared agreements, and questions everyone answers.
As you watch: What would a circle look like with your students? What question would you start with?
Restorative practices don't replace the Dignity Act. You still report on the one-day and two-day timeline, and the school still investigates. In bullying cases, a face-to-face restorative meeting happens only if the targeted student freely chooses it and it's safe. The power imbalance in bullying means the target should never be pressured to meet.
Practice · not graded
A student wrote a cruel post about a classmate. Which response is most restorative?
Sources: International Institute for Restorative Practices (IIRP); Oakland Unified School District Restorative Justice program.
F4Welcoming students back
When a student returns from a suspension or other removal, the way they're welcomed back affects whether the problem happens again. A re-entry meeting brings the student, their family, and staff together to talk about what happened, what support is needed, and how the student will reconnect.
Video · about 14 minutes
Restorative Welcome and Reentry Circle
Oakland Unified School District
A student returns to school after a long absence, and a circle of family, staff, and peers helps him plan his return.
As you watch: What does each adult in the circle offer the student?
Practical ways to welcome a student back, even without a formal circle:
Greet them warmly on their first day back. A fresh start is part of accountability.
Make a plan for missed work.
If the student was targeted, check that the safety plan is still working.
If the student caused harm, name the adult they can go to when things get hard.
F5Putting it together: your action plan
You've covered the law, what bullying looks like, bias, bystanders, and how to respond and prevent. Write a short plan for your own setting (about 15 minutes). The Module F reflection asks about it.
Prevent: one thing I'll do to build relationships or a safer climate
Respond: what I'll say and do in the first minute when I see bullying or hear a biased comment
Report: who my school's Dignity Act Coordinator is, and how I'll report orally (within one school day) and in writing (within two school days after that)
Repair: one restorative or follow-up step I'll use
What happens next
Take the Module F quiz. It opens after 5 hours 55 minutes on the course.
When you pass, you've finished all six quizzes. Your facilitators review your quizzes, reflections, and time.
The day you pass is your completion date. It goes on your certificate and in NYS TEACH. Your completion is usually reported within 48 hours, and your certificate is emailed to you.
Module F quiz · 12 questions + 1 reflection
Record your Module F completion
This is the final quiz. Use the same name and email you used to check in.
Time on the course so far: of your 6-hour goal.
Use your remaining time (it counts toward your 6 hours):
Find your school's Dignity Act Coordinator (about 10 min)
Look up the DAC for the school where you work or hope to work, and how to contact them. Add it to your action plan.
Try a circle question (about 10 min)
Write three community-building circle questions you could use with your students: one easy, one about values, and one about your classroom community.
Review the Dignity Act basics (about 10 min)
Reread Module B's sections on what districts must do and your duty to report. Could you explain the one-day and two-day timeline to a new colleague?
You've finished the course. Your facilitators will confirm your quiz results and report your completion to TEACH using your completion date.