Murray board reviews expanded bullying policy language to meet state checklist

Murray School District staff presented revisions to the district’s bullying policy to align with state board compliance requirements, including mandatory investigator training, explicit parental-notification procedures, protections against moving alleged victims without their request, and an appeals process. Director of Student Services Darren Dean described multiple changes requested by the state board’s cross-checklist. The proposed policy specifies that school administrators will receive training on conducting investigations and that investigators must determine whether alleged incidents constitute civil-rights violations. The draft adds language that school action plans may not require an alleged victim to change schedule, placement or participation in extracurriculars unless the victim requests such a change. Dean said the policy will include a designated appeals contact — himself in his current role — and clarified that incident counts and categories (including incidents related to disability, race or national origin) would be recorded in the district’s student information systems. He also said the state expects documentation that students receive age-appropriate bullying-prevention education and that the district is working to provide verification of student training. Board members discussed the document’s second reading status; Dean said the changes are intended to bring the policy into compliance and that staff would circulate a clean version showing strikeouts removed for the board’s review before a vote.