Schools’ bully pulpit

THE CITY IS launching a new “bullying complaint portal” to let students and parents lodge online complaints if they're facing harassment or discrimination at school, Schools Chancellor Carmen Fariña said Monday.

Farina laid out new anti-bullying plans at a hearing after a 15-year-old was stabbed to death by a classmate who said he’d faced persistent bullying. The principal of the troubled Bronx school, Urban Assembly School for Wildlife Conservation, was removed on Saturday.

The new online portal, launching in 2019, will let families report bullying incidents and receive information on the outcome of the investigation.

As part of the plan announced Monday, 300 schools with high bullying rates will also get new programs for staff and students teaching relationship skills and responsible decision making.

A new rule will require schools to make an individual action plan when there are several substantiated bullying charges against the same student.

The city will spend $1 million to set up new clubs in middle and high schools, including Gender and Sexuality Alliances and Respect for All clubs, and offer online anti-bias training for school staff.

The Department of Education also backed a bill to require the city to publicly report school by school bullying statistics.