ALBANY, NY — A report released by New York State Conptroller Thomas DiNapoli’s office found that schools in Sullivan County reported more instances of bullying than those of neighboring counties. For the 2015-16 school year, the count was 313 in Sullivan, 200 in Ulster and 293 in Orange. The numbers regarding cyberbullying, however, were better for Sullivan, which reported 32 instances, as opposed to 50 in Ulster and 63 in Orange.

Under the Dignity for All Students Act (DASA) which took effect in 2012, schools are required to respond in specific ways to reports of bullying or harassment. Schools must also appoint a trained Dignity Act Coordinator (DAC).

As part of the audit, which covered the period from June 2012 to April 2017, contributors visited 20 schools in the state, none in Sullivan County. They found “gaps” in compliance. “For example, more than half of the schools we visited did not communicate DAC contact information throughout the school, and some did not train non-instructional personnel, creating a risk that bullying incidents they witness or learn about may not be addressed appropriately, if at all.”

The report also said, “Some school personnel also said they struggle with differing conceptions of what constitutes ‘bullying,’ and they are unclear about their responsibilities to respond to and report cyberbullying incidents.”

The audit found that, “The [Education] Department’s guidance addressing transgender and gender nonconforming students has been both timely and adequate. However, certain schools may not be accurately reporting some DASA incidents or may not be reporting them at all. In addition, several schools were not able to identify which DASA incidents they reported to the Department, and incident records often were not adequate to clearly demonstrate whether or not the incidents were reportable… Officials at most schools we visited were not aware of DASA record retention requirements, and some officials indicated that they purge DASA records sooner than DASA allows.”

In the school year that ended June 2016, New York school districts (outside of New York City) reported 16,938 verified incidents of discrimination and harassment and 2,472 incidents of cyberbullying.