Treyger’s Bills Against Bullying and To Report PTA Fundraising Will Bring More Transparency At Local Schools

Councilmember Mark Treyger (D, 47th) has been busy making our schools better and more equal for the kids.

Today, the council approved his anti-bullying bill Intro 1757-A requiring Department of Education (DOE) to collect and report bullying data – student-to-student bullying, harassment, intimidation, or discrimination, bullying complaints –  every six months, including how quickly parents or guardians are notified of bullying incidents that take place at school, and any follow up.

This data is to be available at individual school level.

“Bullying can take a significant physical, emotional, and psychological toll on students and families. As a former educator, I saw firsthand how bullying can disrupt a child’s developmental and educational progress,” Treyger said in a statement.

The other bill he introduced today tackles fundraising by parent organizations.

In an effort to better understand the true amounts of money spent on educating kids in public schools, Trayger is asking DOE to track and report publicly both membership and amounts raised by PTAs for their schools.

“We need to make sure all of our kids are receiving the same level of opportunity across the board,” Treyger told Chalkbeat earlier today.

The amounts parent organizations raise vary dramatically and can exacerbate differences between schools in rich and poor neighborhoods, Chalkbeat writes.  In some districts in California, all the resources raised by PTAs are pooled and redistributed, not without controversy – NYT did a story earlier this year looking at Sacramento and Malibu.