New Regulations on Reporting Bullying in Schools
School leaders are required to notify law enforcement about cases of bullying and violence.
Failure to comply with this obligation may lead to administrative liability, stated educational ombudsperson Nadia Leshchik.
She explained that school and kindergarten directors must respond to verbal or written complaints of child abuse. The law establishes a one-day response time for such reports.
If a school leader detects signs of bullying, they must immediately inform the child's parents or guardians and file a written report with the police and child protection services.
Nadia Leshchik emphasized that this notification is a necessary condition for holding offenders and their parents (if the victims are students) accountable. Following such a report, police can open an investigation, and the court will subsequently determine if the child has indeed been bullied.
"Not every report from a school leader may indicate bullying; sometimes it can be a one-time incident of violence, but such situations must not be ignored – they also constitute abuse, and it is the police that will determine if there are grounds for initiating a criminal case or drafting an administrative offense report.
Determining how to classify child abuse at the moment of receiving such a notification is the police's responsibility, not the educational institution's leader," explained the educational ombudsperson.
According to her, directors or committees reviewing bullying cases in schools do not have the authority to conclude whether a child has been bullied, but they can identify signs of harassment to include in their report to the police and also make decisions regarding further actions within the educational institution.
If a school director fails to report to the police, they may face administrative liability under Article 173-4 of the Code of Administrative Offenses, which may result in a fine (from 425 to 850 UAH) or corrective work for up to one month with a salary deduction of up to 20%.
Judicial practice shows that courts often impose fines on offenders.
Appeals to the office of the educational ombudsperson indicate that some leaders do not report to law enforcement due to fears for the institution's reputation or that the situation may become public.
Moreover, directors mistakenly believe that they should first address the bullying report with a special committee before notifying the police.
"However, ignoring such situations does not resolve the issue; it only exacerbates the problem and leads to negative consequences for all participants in the educational process, including the institution's leader," believes Nadia Leshchik.
Earlier, the Ministry of Education and Science created a rapid reporting mechanism for bullying in schools. Students or their parents can fill out a brief questionnaire and submit a complaint electronically.