(2) On or before July 1, 2013, each school district and each charter school shall establish policies, procedures and guidelines for its school or schools to implement, commencing with the 2013-2014 school year and continuing in each school year thereafter, Dignity Act school employee training programs to promote a positive school environment that is free from harassment, bullying and/or discrimination; and to discourage and respond to incidents of harassment, bullying, and/or discrimination on school property or at a school function, or off school property pursuant to subclause (1)(viii)(c)(iii) of this subdivision. Such polices, procedures and guidelines shall be approved by the board of education, trustees or sole trustee of the school district (or by the chancellor of the city school district, in the case of the City School District of the City of New York) or by the board of trustees of the charter school. (3) The polices, procedures and guidelines shall include, but not be limited to, guidelines relating to the development of nondiscriminatory instructional and counseling methods, and providing employees, including school and district administrators and instructional and non-instructional staff, with training to: (i) raise awareness and sensitivity to potential acts of harassment, bullying, and/or discrimination directed at students that are committed by students and/or school employees on school property or at a school function, or off school property pursuant to subclause (1)(viii)(c)(iii) of this subdivision; including, but not limited to, harassment, bullying and/or discrimination based on a person's actual or perceived race, color, weight, national origin, ethnic group, religion, religious practice, disability, sexual orientation, gender, or sex. Such training shall address the social patterns of harassment, bullying and/or discrimination, the identification and mitigation of such acts, and strategies for effectively addressing problems of exclusion, bias and aggression in educational settings; (ii) enable employees to prevent and respond to incidents of harassment, bullying, and/or discrimination, consistent with Education Law section 13(4); (iii) make school employees aware of the effects of harassment, bullying, cyberbullying, and/or discrimination on students; (iv) ensure the effective implementation of school policy on school conduct and discipline, including but not limited to, guidelines on promoting a safe and supportive school climate while discouraging harassment, bullying, and/or discrimination against students by students and/or school employees; and (v) include safe and supportive school climate concepts in curriculum and classroom management.

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.

The board of education and the trustees or sole trustee of every school district shall create policies, procedures and guidelines that shall include, but not be limited to:

4. Guidelines relating to the development of measured, balanced and age-appropriate responses to instances of harassment, bullying or discrimination by students, with remedies and procedures following a progressive model that make appropriate use of intervention, discipline and education, vary in method according to the nature of the behavior, the developmental age of the student and the student’s history of problem behaviors, and are consistent with the district’s code of conduct; and

The commissioner shall:

1. Provide direction, which may include development of model policies and, to the extent possible, direct services, to school districts related to preventing harassment, bullying and discrimination and to fostering an environment in every school where all children can learn free of manifestations of bias;
2. Provide grants, from funds appropriated for such purpose, to local school districts to assist them in implementing the guidelines set forth in this section;
3. Promulgate regulations to assist school districts in implementing this article including, but not limited to, regulations to assist school districts in developing measured, balanced, and age-appropriate responses to violations of this policy, with remedies and procedures following a progressive model that make appropriate use of intervention, discipline and education and provide guidance related to the application of regulations; and
4. Provide guidance and educational materials to school districts related to best practices in addressing cyberbullying and helping families and communities work cooperatively with schools in addressing cyberbullying, whether on or off school property or at or away from a school function.
5. The commissioner shall prescribe regulations that school professionals applying on or after December thirty-first, two thousand thirteen for a certificate or license, including but not limited to a certificate or license valid for service as a classroom teacher, school counselor, school psychologist, school social worker, school administrator or supervisor or superintendent of schools shall, in addition to all other certification or licensing requirements, have completed training on the social patterns of harassment, bullying and discrimination, as defined in section eleven of this article, including but not limited to those acts based on a person’s actual or perceived race, color, weight, national origin, ethnic group, religion, religious practice, disability, sexual orientation, gender or sex, the identification and mitigation of harassment, bullying and discrimination, and strategies for effectively addressing problems of exclusion, bias and aggression in educational settings.