(2) (a) The department shall select a professional program evaluator to complete a preliminary evaluation of the pilot program on or before September 1, 2022, and a final evaluation of the pilot program to be completed on or before September 1, 2023. The department shall contract with the evaluator prior to the implementation of the pilot program in the pilot schools during the 2020-21 school year to create a process for the collection and transmission of data and information to the evaluator to ensure that the evaluator has the data and information necessary to complete the preliminary and final reports concerning the impact and outcomes of the pilot program. The pilot program evaluator, in conjunction with the department, shall select a group of control schools that have school characteristics and student demographics similar to those of the pilot schools, to serve as a control group for purposes of evaluating the impacts and outcomes of the pilot program on participating students and pilot schools. Data collected for pilot schools and control group schools must include data from school climate and healthy schools surveys for any grade in which such surveys have been created.

(K) On and after August 8, 2001, a specific policy concerning bullying prevention and education. Each school district is encouraged to ensure that its policy, at a minimum, incorporates the biennial administration of surveys of students' impressions of the severity of bullying in their schools, as described in section 22-93-104 (1)(c); character building; and the designation of a team of persons at each school of the school district who advise the school administration concerning the severity and frequency of bullying incidents that occur in the school, which team may include, but need not be limited to, law enforcement officials, social workers, prosecutors, health professionals, mental health professionals, school psychologists, counselors, teachers, administrators, parents, and students. Each school district's policy shall set forth appropriate disciplinary consequences for students who bully other students and for any person who takes any retaliatory action against a student who reports in good faith an incident of bullying, which consequences shall comply with all applicable state and federal laws.

(1) On or before April 1, 2012, or not more than ninety days after the department receives sufficient moneys to implement this article as described in section 22-93-102 (2), whichever is later, the state board shall promulgate rules for the administration of this article, including but not limited to:

• (b) Criteria for the department to apply in selecting the public schools, facility schools, and collaborative groups of public schools and facility schools that shall receive grants and determining the amount of grant moneys to be awarded to each grant recipient, which criteria, at a minimum, shall require each grant recipient to:

• (III) Adopt a specific policy concerning bullying education and prevention that includes:

• (A) Provisions for the biennial administration of surveys of students' impressions of the severity of bullying in their schools, the administration of which surveys, at a minimum, shall satisfy the rules promulgated by the state board pursuant to paragraph (c) of this subsection (1); and

• (B) The designation of a team of persons at each school of the school district who advise the school administration concerning the severity and frequency of bullying incidents that occur in the school, which team may include, but need not be limited to, law enforcement officials, social workers, prosecutors, health professionals, mental health professionals, counselors, teachers, administrators, parents, and students.

This toolkit encourages schools and districts to measure school climate and provides information and resources on school climate measures.