The Legislature declares that:

1. Pupils are the most vital resource to the future of this State;
2. A learning environment that is safe and respectful is essential for the pupils enrolled in the schools in this State and is necessary for those pupils to achieve academic success and meet this State’s high academic Standard;
3. Every classroom, hallway, locker room, cafeteria, restroom, gymnasium, playground, athletic field, school bus, parking lot and other areas on the premises of a school in this State must be maintained as a safe and respectful learning environment, and no form of bullying or cyber-bullying will be tolerated within the system of public education in this State;
4. Any form of bullying or cyber-bullying seriously interferes with the ability of teachers to teach in the classroom and the ability of pupils to learn;
5. The use of the Internet by pupils in a manner that is ethical, safe and secure is essential to a safe and respectful learning environment and is essential for the successful use of technology;
6. It will ensure that: (a) The schools in this State provide a safe and respectful learning environment in which persons of differing beliefs, races, colors, national origins, ancestries, religions, gender identities or expressions, sexual orientations, physical or mental disabilities, sexes or any other distinguishing characteristics or backgrounds can realize their full academic and personal potential; (b) All administrators, teachers and other personnel of the school districts and schools in this State demonstrate appropriate and professional behavior on the premises of any school by treating other persons, including, without limitation, pupils, with civility and respect, by refusing to tolerate bullying and cyber-bullying, and by taking immediate action to protect a victim or target of bullying or cyber-bullying when witnessing, overhearing or being notified that bullying or cyber-bullying is occurring or has occurred; (c) The quality of instruction is not negatively impacted by poor attitudes or interactions among administrators, teachers, coaches or other personnel of a school district or school; (d) All persons in a school are entitled to maintain their own beliefs and to respectfully disagree without resorting to bullying, cyber-bullying or violence; and (e) Any teacher, administrator, coach or other staff member or pupil who tolerates or engages in an act of bullying or cyber-bullying or violates a provision of NRS 388.121 to 388.1395, inclusive, regarding a response to bullying or cyber-bullying against a pupil will be held accountable; and
7. By declaring this mandate that the schools in this State provide a safe and respectful learning environment, the Legislature is not advocating or requiring the acceptance of differing beliefs in a manner that would inhibit the freedom of expression, but is requiring that pupils be free from physical, emotional or mental abuse while at school and that pupils be provided with an environment that allows them to learn.

1. The Office for a Safe and Respectful Learning Environment is hereby created within the Department.
2. The Superintendent of Public Instruction shall appoint a Director of the Office, who shall serve at the pleasure of the Superintendent.
3. The Director of the Office shall ensure that the Office: (a) Maintains a 24-hour, toll-free statewide hotline and Internet website by which any person can report a violation of the provisions of NRS 388.121 to 388.1395, inclusive, and obtain information about anti-bullying efforts and organizations; and (b) Provides outreach and anti-bullying education and training for pupils, parents and guardians, teachers, administrators, coaches and other staff members and the members of a governing body. The outreach and training must include, without limitation: (1) Training regarding methods, procedures and practice for recognizing bullying and cyber-bullying behaviors; (2) Training regarding effective intervention and remediation strategies regarding bullying and cyber-bullying; (3) Training regarding methods for reporting violations of NRS 388.135; and (4) Information on and referral to available resources regarding suicide prevention and the relationship between bullying or cyber-bullying and suicide, including, without limitation, resources for pupils who are members of groups at a high risk of suicide. Such groups include, without limitation, the groups described in subsection 3 of NRS 388.256.
4. The Director of the Office shall establish procedures by which the Office may receive reports of bullying and cyber-bullying and complaints regarding violations of the provisions of NRS 388.121 to 388.1395, inclusive.
5. The Director of the Office or his or her designee shall investigate any complaint that a teacher, administrator, coach or other staff member or member of a governing body has violated a provision of NRS 388.121 to 388.1395, inclusive. If a complaint alleges criminal conduct or an investigation leads the Director of the Office or his or her designee to suspect criminal conduct, the Director of the Office may request assistance from the Investigation Division of the Department of Public Safety.

1. The Department, in consultation with persons who possess knowledge and expertise in bullying and cyber-bullying, shall, to the extent money is available, develop an informational pamphlet to assist pupils and the parents or legal guardians of pupils enrolled in schools in this State in resolving incidents of bullying or cyber-bullying. If developed, the pamphlet must include, without limitation: (a) A summary of the policy prescribed by the Department pursuant to NRS 388.133 and the provisions of NRS 388.121 to 388.1395, inclusive; (b) A description of practices which have proven effective in preventing and resolving violations of NRS 388.135 in schools, which must include, without limitation, methods to identify and assist pupils who are at risk for bullying and cyber-bullying; and (c) An explanation that the parent or legal guardian of a pupil who is involved in a reported violation of NRS 388.135 may request an appeal of a disciplinary decision made against the pupil as a result of the violation, in accordance with the policy governing disciplinary action adopted by a governing body.
2. If the Department develops a pamphlet pursuant to subsection 1, the Department shall review the pamphlet on an annual basis and make such revisions to the pamphlet as the Department determines are necessary to ensure the pamphlet contains current information.
3. If the Department develops a pamphlet pursuant to subsection 1, the Department shall post a copy of the pamphlet on the Internet website maintained by the Department.
4. To the extent the money is available, the Department shall develop a tutorial which must be made available on the Internet website maintained by the Department that includes, without limitation, the information contained in the pamphlet developed pursuant to subsection 1, if such a pamphlet is developed by the Department.

1. The Department shall, to the extent money is available, establish a statewide framework for providing and coordinating integrated student supports for pupils enrolled in public schools and the families of such pupils. The statewide framework must: (a) Establish minimum Standard for the provision of integrated student supports by school districts and charter schools. Such Standard must be designed to allow a school district or charter school the flexibility to address the unique needs of the pupils enrolled in the school district or charter school. (b) Establish a protocol for providing and coordinating integrated student supports. Such a protocol must be designed to: (1) Support a school-based approach to promoting the success of all pupils by establishing a means to identify barriers to academic achievement and educational attainment of all pupils and methods for intervening and providing integrated student supports which are coordinated to reduce those barriers, including, without limitation, methods for: (I) Engaging the parents and guardians of pupils; (II) Assessing the social, emotional and academic development of pupils; (III) Attaining appropriate behavior from pupils; and (IV) Screening, intervening and monitoring the social, emotional and academic progress of pupils; (2) Encourage the provision of education in a manner that is centered around pupils and their families and is culturally and linguistically appropriate; (3) Encourage providers of integrated student supports to collaborate to improve academic achievement and educational attainment, including, without limitation, by: (I) Engaging in shared decision-making; (II) Establishing a referral process reduces duplication of services and increases efficiencies in the manner in that which barriers to academic achievement and educational attainment are addressed by such providers; and (III) Establishing productive working relationships between such providers; (4) Encourage collaboration between the Department and local educational agencies to develop training regarding: (I) Best practices for providing integrated student supports; (II) Establishing effective integrated student support teams comprised of persons or governmental entities providing integrated student supports; (III) Effective communication between providers of integrated student supports; and (IV) Compliance with applicable state and federal law; and (5) Support statewide and local organizations in their efforts to provide leadership, coordination, technical assistance, professional development and advocacy to improve access to integrated student supports and expand upon existing integrated student supports that address the physical, emotional and educational needs of pupils. (c) Include integration and coordination across school- and community-based providers of integrated student support services through the establishment of partnerships and systems that support this framework. (d) Establish accountability Standard for each administrator of a school to ensure the provision and coordination of integrated student supports.
2. The board of trustees of each school district and the governing body of each charter school shall: (a) Annually conduct a needs assessment for pupils enrolled in the school district or charter school, as applicable, to identify the academic and nonacademic supports needed within the district or charter school. The board of trustees of a school district or the governing body of a charter school shall be deemed to have satisfied this requirement if the board of trustees or the governing body has conducted such a needs assessment for the purpose of complying with any provision of federal law or any other provision of state law that requires the board of trustees or governing body to conduct such a needs assessment. (b) Ensure that mechanisms for data-driven decision-making are in place and the academic progress of pupils for whom integrated student supports have been provided is tracked. (c) Ensure integration and coordination between providers of integrated student supports. (d) To the extent money is available, ensure that pupils have access to social workers, mental health workers, counselors, psychologists, nurses, speech-language pathologists, audiologists and other school-based specialized instructional support personnel or community-based medical or behavioral providers of health care.
3. Any request for proposals issued by a local educational agency for integrated student supports must include provisions requiring a provider of integrated student supports to comply with the protocol established by the Department pursuant to subsection 1.
4. As used in this section, integrated student support means any measure designed to assist a pupil in: (a) Improving his or her academic achievement and educational attainment and maintaining stability and positivity in his or her life; and (b) His or her social, emotional and academic development.

The State Board shall adopt regulations that require:

1. The board of trustees of each school district and the governing body of each charter school to identify the social and environmental factors that affect the educational experience of pupils at each school in the district or the charter school, as applicable, and provide a description of those factors to the Department; and
2. The Department, the board of trustees of each school district, the governing body of each charter school and the staff of each public school to consider the factors identified pursuant to subsection 1 for a school when making decisions concerning the school or interacting with and making decisions concerning the staff of the school or pupils enrolled at the school. Such decisions include, without limitation, decisions concerning the allocation of money, the provision of integrated student supports pursuant to NRS 388.885, evaluations of members of the staff of the school pursuant to NRS 391.650 to 391.826, inclusive, salaries of members of the staff of the school and the discipline of pupils.

This framework provides guidance to school districts to develop an integrated and coherent framework of academic, behavioral, social, and emotional supports in a single delivery system of interventions.

This page provides information about the five social-emotional competencies adopted by the Nevada Department of Education.