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PGCPS outlines AP 5143 changes, requires IEP/504 teams to meet within three days after substantiated bullying incidents
Summary
Prince George's County Public Schools staff told the Parent Community Advisory Council that AP 5143 was revised to add sexual-harassment reporting aligned to Title IX and to require immediate notification and a team meeting within three days for students with IEPs or 504 plans involved in substantiated bullying, harassment or intimidation incidents.
Dr. Tisa Holley, a student-services leader for Prince George's County Public Schools, told the Parent Community Advisory Council the district has expanded prevention efforts and updated administrative procedure AP 5143 to add sexual-harassment reporting aligned with the Title IX office and to clarify support for students with disabilities.
Holley said the Bullying Advisory Council review resulted in two “significant changes”: adding a section on reporting sexual-harassment allegations and specifying that when a student with an individualized education program (IEP) or a 504 plan is involved in a bullying, harassment or intimidation (BHI) incident — whether targeted or alleged offender — the IEP team or 504 team must be notified immediately and a team meeting scheduled within three days to assess any adverse impact on the student’s ability to learn. “If and when effective May… the 504 team or the IEP team, they must be notified immediately and… a team meeting needs to be scheduled within three days,” Holley said.
The district also emphasized prevention and staff training. Holley said all PGCPS staff received professional-development training on bullying, classroom prevention strategies, and monthly technical-assistance follow-ups for school-based staff. The district partnered with the University of Maryland, College Park, on a bullying-literature research project in two elementary schools intended to test interventions targeted at 3rd–5th graders so they carry into middle school.
Holley presented SY25 figures from the annual report: 901 reported incidents (14 percentage points fewer than the prior year), 283 were substantiated as bullying/harassment/intimidation, and 375 were categorized as conflicts or other inappropriate behavior that did not meet the BHI threshold. She said the classroom remains the primary reported location, followed by hallways, the cafeteria and digital devices.
Board members pressed for clarity on the distinction between AP 5143 (student-to-student) and AP 4170 (staff-to-student). Holley said the reporting form and app now direct staff-to-student allegations to AP 4170 and that the district updated the app to state up front whether a report is for student-to-student incidents or for staff-to-student concerns.
Holley asked parents and advisory members to spread the district’s reporting QR code and app link and described an attendance-ambassador outreach effort to amplify prevention messaging in community spaces.
Next steps: the district will review the University of Maryland research, monitor the effect of training and the AP 5143 changes over time, and continue monthly technical-assistance sessions for school staff. Holley encouraged parents to use the reporting app so school teams can act on incidents and said increased reporting can enable better interventions.
