Amend the bill, as and if amended, by striking all after the enacting words and inserting:
/ SECTION 1. This act must be known and may be cited as the "Report-a-Bully in School Act".
SECTION 2. Article 2, Chapter 63, Title 59 of the 1976 Code is amended by adding:
"Section 59-63-145.
(A) Before September 1, 2014, each
local school district shall include on its website a form that a
student can complete online to report acts of harassment,
intimidation, or bullying of a student in a school. This form
must be called the 'Report-a-Bully in School Act' form, and a
link to the form must be conspicuously displayed on the home
page of the website for each district and school within the
district. At a minimum, the form must include information about
the date, location, the name and identifying information of the
victim, and circumstances of the incident, along with the
identity of the person who committed the incident. If the form
is completed by a witness to the incident, the form must include
all other information required and the name and identifying
information of the reporting witness. This form, after being
filed by a student or parent, must be accessible only to school
officials and law enforcement. The school promptly shall
investigate the allegations consistent with policies adopted by
the district pursuant to the Safe School Climate Act. Each month
the school shall report to the State Board of Education the
number of acts reported by the form, the nature of each alleged
act, whether the investigation of the report is pending or
resolved, and if resolved, the date of the resolution.
(B) To assist local
school districts in developing policies for providing a
'Report-a-Bully in School Act' form, the State Board of
Education shall develop model policies concerning the
development, implementation, and promotion of the form within
thirty days after the effective date of this section. This model
policy must include a template for a 'Report-a-Bully in School
Act' form that a school may use for its website. The State Board
of Education also shall develop and implement a program to
promote awareness of the form, emphasizing that preserving the
anonymity of the identity of a person making a report is of
paramount importance unless a criminal charge is filed arising
out of the incident.
(C) A report submitted
through a 'Report-a-Bully in School Act' form is not subject to
the South Carolina Freedom of Information Act, but may be
discoverable if criminal charges are filed."
SECTION 3. This act takes effect upon approval by the Governor. /
Renumber sections to conform.
Amend title to conform.