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，康乃狄克州為學區制定了有關跨性別學生和性別不符學生的權利、責任和最佳教育實踐的指導。

該指南包括以下內容：

• 學校應該尊重跨性別學生的姓名和代名詞；
• 學校應尊重跨性別學生的醫療資訊、曾用名等隱私；
• 學生記錄上的姓名和性別應符合學生的性別認同；
• 跨性別學生應該能夠使用符合其性別認同的洗手間、更衣室和更衣設施；
• 在任何性別隔離的活動中（包括運動），跨性別學生都應該能夠以符合其性別認同的方式參與。

有關本指南的更多信息，請參閱“跨性別學生公民權利保護和支持指南”：

跨性別學生公民權利保護與支持指南 

是的，康乃狄克州《一般法規》第10-15c條禁止在公立學校的活動、計畫和課程中基於性取向、性別認同或表達以及種族、膚色、性別、宗教和國籍歧視學生。有關康涅狄格州反歧視法以及如何提交歧視投訴的更多信息，請參閱“歧視”問題專區。

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. 

您可以向學校的 Title IX 協調員投訴，也可以向以下機構投訴：

民權辦公室
美國教育部
約翰·W·麥科馬克郵局及法院，222 室
郵局廣場
波士頓，馬薩諸塞州 02109

此外，某些類型的歧視和騷擾可能會侵犯學生的憲法權利。

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.