Dignity for All Students (DASA)

The 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.

DIGNITY FOR ALL STUDENTS ACT- Expert from Salmon River Central School District Code of Conduct

“The Board of Education is committed to creating and maintaining a learning atmosphere which is respectful and supportive and free from harassment, bullying and/or discrimination. Providing a safe school environment where all students and employees, without exception, are treated with respect and dignity, and are free from bullying, intimidation and harassment is one of our highest priorities. The purpose of the Salmon River Central School District Dignity for All Students team is to ensure that all students, regardless of gender, national origin, ethnicity, religions, disability, gender including expression or identity, sex, weight, height, ethnic group, religious practices, and sexual orientation, are provided an environment free from discrimination, harassment, bullying and fear, in order to come to school safely and without impediment to learning from these acts. ”

Link: StopBullying.gov

Link: More information from NYSED

• Addressing Bullying, Harassment, Intimidation, and Discrimination in our Schools(powerpoint): includes information on how to create a school environment where students are free to learn without fear of discrimination, harassment or intimidation (PDF 361KB)
• On August 31, 2016, Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman and Education Commissioner MaryEllen Elia released guidance and model materials to aid school districts in complying with the Dignity For All Students Act. See the press release.
  • August 31, 2016 memo from NYS Education Department Assistant Commissioner, Renee Rider and NYS Office of the Attorney General Civil Rights Bureau Chief, Lourdes Rosado
  • Model training materials to assist districts in training school employees on a variety of topics, including the nature of harassment, bullying, and discrimination; how to identify such behavior; and school employees’ duties concerning the reporting, investigation, and documenting of alleged incidents of harassment, bullying, and discrimination.
• Dear Colleagues Letter From Commissioner Elia Regarding U.S. Departments of Education and Justice Joint Guidance to School Districts Regarding Transgender Students(PDF 275 KB) – (5/25/16)
• Guidance to School Districts for Creating a Safe and Supportive School Environment For Transgender and Gender Nonconforming Students (PDF 132 KB) (7/20/15)
• The Updated Resource and Promising Practices Guide for School Administrators & Faculty is Available!:download the PDF (PDF 1.4 MB) (Updated 5/10/16)

Violent and Disruptive Incident Reporting (VADIR)

• Frequently Asked Questions and Answers Regarding VADIR Reporting – (PDF 51 KB – updated 4/8/2016)
• Glossary of Terms
• Directions and forms for completing the Summary of Violent and Disruptive Incidents Form can be found at NYSED’s Information and Reporting Services (IRS) web page.
• Revised Weighted Incident Exemption Process (WIEP) ( 152 KB – updated 4/21/2016) – Applications, Instructions and Required Forms – The WIEP application is the process by which a school district demonstrates to NYSED that it should not be designated as persistently dangerous or identified as potentially persistently dangerous because some or all of the weighted incidents reported in the VADIR summary form were allegedly directly related to a student offender’s disability, and that the school/district has taken appropriate corrective steps. When a district school is notified by NYSED that it is identified as potentially persistently dangerous (PPD), or when a persistently dangerous (PD) school is petitioning for removal of the PD designation, the WIEP application may be submitted by the due date specified by NYSED each year.
• Weighted Incident Exemption Process – Other Circumstances (WIEP-OC) ( 92 KB) – WIEP-OC is designed for use by school district leaders to apply for the exemption of weighted incidents that have been attributed to a student offender who is NOT classified with a disability. A school district leader must submit evidence in support of the requested exemption. All required forms must be completed and submitted by the due date in order to be considered.
• VADIR Software Programs and Applications