Dignity for All Students Act (DASA)
New York State’s Dignity for All Students Act (The Dignity Act) seeks to provide the State’s public elementary and secondary school students with a safe and supportive environment free from discrimination, intimidation, taunting, harassment, and bullying on school property, a school bus and/or at a school function.
The law states that no student shall be subjected to discrimination, harassment, or bullying (including cyberbullying) by employees or other students on school property and at school functions based on, but not limited to, their actual or perceived
Race
Color
Weight
Nationality
Ethnicity
Religion
Religious Practice
Disability
Sexual Orientation
Gender which includes gender identity and/or expression or sex
New York State’s Dignity for All Students Act (The Dignity Act) Terms:
Bullying is an unwanted, aggressive behavior among school aged children that involves a real or perceived power imbalance. The behavior is repeated or has the potential to be repeated over time.
Cyberbullying: added in 2013, means harassment or bullying that occurs through any form of electronic communication. Education Law 11(8)
To be considered bullying, the behavior must include:
Deliberate: A bully’s intention to hurt someone.
An Imbalance of Power: Kids who bully use their power—such as physical strength, access to embarrassing information, or popularity—to control or harm others. Power imbalances can change over time and in different situations, even if they involve the same people.
Repetition: Bullying behaviors happen more than once or have the potential to happen more than once.
Discrimination would include the denial of equal treatment, admission and/or access to programs facilities and service based on the 11 protected areas noted above.
Harassment is defined as the creation of a hostile environment by conduct or by verbal threats, intimidation or abuse that has or would have the effect of unreasonably interfering with a student’s educational performance, opportunities or benefits or mental, emotional or physical well-being. It is further defined as conduct, verbal threats, intimidation or abuse that reasonably causes or would reasonably be expected to cause a student to fear for his or her physical safety.
The CROWN Act: The Dignity Act was amended in 2021 to add the following definitions for the terms race and protective hairstyles to be consistent with The CROWN Act: Race shall include traits historically associated with race, including, but not limited to, hair texture and protective hairstyles. Protective hairstyles shall include, but not be limited to, such hairstyles as braids, locks, and twists. Examples include a report regarding the punishment, differential treatment or humiliation of a student, or exclusion of a student from a school function, athletic team, or school yearbook, based on hair texture or protective hairstyle, or the request to alter or actual alteration of a protective hairstyle. CRR 100.2 (kk)
Gender Identity and/or Expression: The Dignity Act was amended in 2018 to specify that gender includes gender identity and/or expression. The amendment also included the following illustrative examples of the types of incidents which must be reported to the principal, superintendent, or designee as possible violations of the Dignity for All Students Act:
Access to School Facilities: Incidents regarding students being denied access to school facilities, such as restrooms, changing rooms, locker rooms, and/or field trips.
Dress Code: The application of a dress code, specific grooming or appearance standards that is made based on a person’s actual or perceived race, color, weight, national origin, ethnic group, religion, religious practice, disability, sexual orientation, gender (which includes gender identity and/or expression), or sex.
Names and Pronouns: Incidents regarding the intentional incorrect use of name(s) and pronouns(s) or the pronunciation of name(s) of students.
Other: Incidents should be reported regarding any other form of harassment, bullying, and/or discrimination, based on a person’s actual or perceived race, color, weight, national origin, ethnic group, religion, religious practice, disability, sexual orientation, gender (which includes gender identity and/or expression), or sex.
Additional DASA Information
DASA Frequently Asked Questions FAQs
Please refer to Buffalo Public School’s Board of Education Policy/Regulation 7316R on Bullying: Peer Abuse in the Schools and 3420R on Anti-Harassment in the School District for additional information.
Report Bullying at Your School
How to make a formal complaint of an act of or suspected act of discrimination, harassment, or bullying (including cyberbullying)
The principal is the DASA Coordinator at your school - Find the name and contact information on your school’s website.
If You are Being Bullied...
Tell someone — a parent/guardian/caregiver, a teacher, a counselor, administrator.
Calmly tell the student to stop…or say nothing and walk away.
Submit the Online BPS Report Bullying Form.
If You Know Someone who is Being Bullied...
If you feel safe, be an “Upstander” and
Tell the bully to stop.
Say words of support to the student being bullied—Be a friend!
Don’t encourage the bully by laughing or joining in or posting pictures/video.
Tell other bystanders how to help stop bullying.
If it doesn’t feel safe…
Tell an adult.
Encourage the bullied student to talk to a trusted adult.
What do I do if my child is bullying others?
Develop clear and consistent rules within your family for your child’s behavior.
Praise and reinforce your child for following rules and use non-physical consequences for rule violation.
Carefully supervise and monitor your child’s activities Know who your child’s friends are and how and where they spend free time.
Bullying/Harassment Prevention Information
The Buffalo Public Schools are committed to reducing bullying and ensuring that our schools are safe and orderly environments, allowing students to grow socially and academically. Our school environments take a proactive role in nurturing students’ pro-social behavior by providing them with a range of positive behavioral supports as well as meaningful opportunities for social-emotional learning and restorative solutions.