New York State's Dignity for All Students Act (The Dignity Act) seeks to provide the State's K-12 public school students with a safe and supportive environment that is free of bullying, harassment, and discrimination. DASA protections cover behavior on school property, at school functions, on the bus, or online (if the behavior impact school).
The Dignity for All Students Act recognizes that schools must actively create cultures of belonging. This requires vigilance in responding to real or potential acts of bullying, harassment, and/or discrimination. This includes:
- Heightened awareness and responsiveness to such incidents.
- Specific reporting procedures.
- Defining the scope of supervision, both on and off school grounds.
- Creating positive and supportive school and bus climates.
How to Report All actual or potential incidents should be reported using the processes described below.
Please describe the words and behaviors in as much detail as possible. Avoid labeling behaviors as "bullying." This will aid in the reporting and investigation.
Students, Parents, and Community Members
Students, parents, or community members are encouraged to report suspected DASA incidents through one of the following means:
- Report it directly to a Vestal administrator, faculty member, or staff member... and/or
- Report it online through the "Report a Concern" form. Please see school-specific reporting forms in the upper right column on this page. For concerns not related to a specific school, please use the Vestal District reporting form.
DASA Coordinators
For out-of-district placements, contact the principal of that placement. For out-of-district special education placements, you may contact Amber Dennis, Director of Special Education, at [email protected] or 607-757-3428.
The District-wide DASA Coordinator is Clifford R. Kasson, Deputy Superintendent, at [email protected] or 607-757-221.
What is the Scope of Supervision?
DASA extends the supervisory role of schools to include incidents and acts both on and off school property. DASA supervision extends to:
- On school property
- At a school function that is a school-sponsored extracurricular event or activity.
- Off school property where incidents and acts would foreseeably create a risk of substantial disruption within the school environment or reach school property.
- Electronic communications, including incidents occurring off school property, that would foreseeably create a risk of substantial disruption within the school environment or reach school property.
Additional DASA-related training materials and other resources have been provided in the right column of this page.