Since September 1, 2007; every accredited Iowa school district (public and non-public) has to have a policy in place that defines bullying, publicly posts the policy, lists the 17 categories that are protected under the law, and report their incidents of bullying including the consequences of each incident to the Iowa Department of Education.   Since this time, 26 public school districts have never reported a single incident; and during the 2010-11 school year 98 public school districts did not report a single incident. 

If you want to know how your school district stacks up on reporting - click the icon on your left to find your school and see their reporting as a district over the past four years.  Follow our FAQ on Bullying Help below if you need any assistance.

I'm being bullied and need help.  What do I do? 

Contact your teacher, school counselor, and principal immediately.  If your school does not know about the bullying it is difficult to help.  The school will have report forms available for you to fill out.  It is important you request to fill out a form and complete it along with any evidence.  

My principal isn't doing anything about the bullying.  Now what? 

Contact your school district's superintendent immediately.  Your superintendent should help resolve any issues.  Often times a school administrator may not be able to tell you what happened due to privacy laws.  

My superintendent isn't doing anything about the bullying.  Now what?

If you feel your school principal and superintendent have not handled the situation appropriately - contact your school board.  

Is there anything else I can do? 

Yes, a violation of the Safe Schools Law is often times a violation of the Iowa Civil Rights Code.  You may have a potential case with the Iowa Civil Rights Commission.  To file a complaint and receive assistance contact the Iowa Civil Rights Commission at http://www.state.ia.us/government/crc/

You may also file a complaint with the US Department of Education's Office of Civil Rights  by going here http://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/qa-complaints.html

You may also contact Penny Bisignano who works on bullying prevention at the Iowa Department of Education by emailing her at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it  

Depending upon the situation, you may need to consult an attorney.  Two organizations who may be able to help are the ACLU of Iowa www.aclu-ia.org or Lambda Legal www.lambdalegal.org 

Can Iowa Safe Schools help with the bullying?

Iowa Safe Schools is glad to offer to any school where bullying is an issue opportunities for trainings on bullying prevention and resolution.  Our staff may be able to accompany a concerned student and/or parent to meet with school administrators if this is needed.  Please contact Nate Monson at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it if you need further assistance.  

I'm a parent and my child is being bullied, what should I do?

Follow the steps listed above.  It is important to work with your principal and superintendent.  They are there to help.  You may file a complaint with the Iowa Civil Rights Commission, contact the Iowa Department of Education, and/or consult an attorney on behalf of your child.  

I'm a friend or relative of a student being bullied, what should I do? 

Encourage the student and parents to follow the above steps.  Unless you are a parent, guardian, or the student being bullied - it is difficult to resolve a situation.