Committee advances bill requiring parent notification after serious bullying incidents

Representative Chris Mathias told Idaho’s Senate Education Committee that House Bill 44 would require school districts to notify the parents of both the victim and the alleged bully when a bullying incident is serious enough to result in suspension. The committee voted to send the bill to the Senate floor with a due-pass recommendation.

The bill, Mathias said, is intended to put parents “in a position to be able to help their kids when it’s time sensitive and when they’re in their most need,” and to focus notifications on a smaller subset of incidents than a previous proposal. “This year, this law would require that parents are only received this notification in serious incidents, defined as those incidents that result in a suspension,” Mathias said.

Mathias told the committee the measure is narrower than an earlier bill (House Bill 539) that failed, because it omits a requirement to notify parents of every bullying incident and removes prescriptive language about the content of notifications. He also said mandatory‑reporting obligations mean school staff are already familiar with notifying law enforcement in serious cases; HB 44 uses permissive language for that step. “If the principal thinks it might be criminal, we just want them to call the professionals,” Mathias said.

Committee members pressed on how the bill differs from current practice and whether it duplicates local policies. Senator Burt Shaw asked whether every district already has a bullying policy; Mathias replied that most districts notify families for serious incidents but that the bill would “make sure that all districts are meeting that floor of our expectations.” Senator Zito and others asked about privacy and the role of school boards and executive sessions; Mathias said the bill contemplates the building administrator notifying law enforcement and that other privacy safeguards (including parental‑permission provisions in state law) remain in place.

Mathias listed stakeholder feedback he said was incorporated: the State Department of Education, the State Board’s Office of School Safety, Idaho PTA, Idaho School Boards Association, Idaho Association of School Administrators, school resource officers and school psychologists. The bill includes a permissive clause saying schools may notify law enforcement when alleged conduct “may violate any criminal law,” and a mandatory clause requiring districts to adopt procedures ensuring parents are notified of serious incidents.

After questions and no public comment, a motion to send House Bill 44 to the floor with a due-pass recommendation was moved and seconded; the motion carried.

If enacted as written in committee testimony, HB 44 would require districts to adopt procedures that notify parents when a bullying incident results in suspension and allow (but do not require) school administrators to inform law enforcement when they determine an allegation may rise to a criminal offense. The bill does not prescribe the exact content of the notice to families.