Youth | Bullying | Connecticut

Yes. The law improved significantly in 2011 with the passage of Public Act 11-232, An Act Concerning the Strengthening of School Bullying Laws (Conn. Gen. Stat. sec. 10-222d). Per the law, bullying is defined as repeated written, oral, or electronic communication, or physical acts or gestures by one or more students repeatedly directed at another student, that:

• causes the bullied student physical or emotional harm or damages their property;
• places the bullied student in reasonable fear of being harmed;
• creates a hostile school environment for the bullied student;
• infringes on the bullied student’s rights or substantially disrupts the education process or the school’s orderly operation.

The law also recognizes that students who are LGBTQ+ or are perceived to be LGBTQ+ or who associate with LGBTQ+ students are often the target of bullying (Conn. Gen. Stat. sec. 10-222d(a)(1)).

Per the law, each school board must develop a “safe school climate plan” that:

• prohibits bullying on school grounds, at a school-sponsored or school-related activity, at a school bus stop or on a school bus, through electronic means (i.e. cyberbullying)
• prohibits discrimination and retaliation against an individual who reports or assists in the investigation of an act of bullying
• enables students to anonymously report acts of bullying
• enables parents to file written reports of suspected bullying
• requires school employees who witness bullying or receive reports of bullying to report it
• requires schools to investigate all reports of bullying and have a prevention and intervention strategy
• requires that both the parents of the bully and the parents of the victim be notified about bullying and told about the measures the school has chosen to take in response
• requires the school to notify the police about any acts of bullying that may constitute criminal conduct
• requires schools to maintain a publicly available list of the number of verified bullying incidents and to report this annually to the Connecticut State Department of Education
• requires all school employees to complete annual training on identifying, preventing and responding to bullying and to youth suicide.

Yes, the U.S. Supreme Court in Mahanoy Area School Dist. V. B. L. in addition to concluding that students have broad speech and expression rights outside of school, also stated:

“Circumstances that may implicate a school’s regulatory interests [outside school] include serious or severe bullying or harassment targeting particular individuals; threats aimed at teachers or other students . . .” 

是的，康涅狄格州为学区制定了有关跨性别学生和性别不符学生的权利、责任和最佳教育实践的指导。

该指南包括以下内容：

• 学校应该尊重跨性别学生的姓名和代词；
• 学校应尊重跨性别学生的医疗信息、曾用名等隐私；
• 学生记录上的姓名和性别应符合学生的性别认同；
• 跨性别学生应该能够使用符合其性别认同的洗手间、更衣室和更衣设施；
• 在任何性别隔离的活动中（包括体育运动），跨性别学生都应该能够以符合其性别认同的方式参与。

有关本指南的更多信息，请参阅“跨性别学生公民权利保护和支持指南”：

跨性别学生公民权利保护与支持指南 

是的，康涅狄格州《一般法规》第10-15c条禁止在公立学校的活动、项目和课程中基于性取向、性别认同或表达以及种族、肤色、性别、宗教和国籍歧视学生。有关康涅狄格州反歧视法以及如何提交歧视投诉的更多信息，请参阅“歧视”问题专区。

Yes, Title IX prohibits discrimination against students based on sex in any school or college that receives federal funds. In light of the Supreme Court ruling in Bostock v. Clayton County, which determined that sexual orientation and gender identity discrimination are forms of sex discrimination, the federal Department of Education, which enforces Title IX, has stated that it will interpret any sexual orientation or gender identity discrimination as sex discrimination. 

To file a complaint with the federal Department of Education Office of Civil Rights, see:  How to File a Discrimination Complaint with the Office for Civil Rights. 

您可以向学校的 Title IX 协调员投诉，也可以向以下机构投诉：

民权办公室
美国教育部
约翰·W·麦科马克邮局及法院，222 室
邮局广场
波士顿，马萨诸塞州 02109

此外，某些类型的歧视和骚扰可能会侵犯学生的宪法权利。

There are many ways to approach the issue. One is to ask for support from a friend, teacher, or counselor and talk to the people who are bothering you. That is not an option, however, if you don’t feel safe doing so.

Take a look at your school policies and notify whoever is supposed to be notified— usually a vice principal or Title IX coordinator. You should document any incidents of harassment or discrimination in writing with at least the date and time. Once you meet with the right officials, write yourself notes about what you told them and on what date and ask when they will be getting back to you with a response. If they don’t help you or don’t follow through, you may wish to write to the principal and superintendent and ask for them to end the discrimination.

If this fails, you may also wish to consider legal action against the town by contacting the Connecticut Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities or the federal Department of Education Office of Civil Rights. 

This is a complicated area of law as well as being emotionally challenging. Contact GLAD Answers by filling out the email form at GLAD 答案 to discuss options.