South Carolina H 3482: School harassment and bullying reporting

Bill Text

2025-2026 Bill 3482 Text of Previous Version (Dec. 06, 2024) - South Carolina Legislature Online 

South Carolina General Assembly
126th Session, 2025-2026

Bill 3482

Indicates Matter Stricken
Indicates New Matter

(Text matches printed bills. Document has been reformatted to meet World Wide Web specifications.)

A bill

TO AMEND THE SOUTH CAROLINA CODE OF LAWS BY ADDING SECTION 
59-63-155 SO AS TO PROVIDE SCHOOL ADMINISTRATORS QUARTERLY SHALL COMPILE AND 
REPORT INCIDENTS OF HARASSMENT, INTIMIDATION, AND BULLYING TO THE STATE DEPARTMENT 
OF EDUCATION, TO PROVIDE RELATED REQUIREMENTS OF THE DEPARTMENT, AND TO PROVIDE 
PENALTIES FOR NONCOMPLIANCE; BY AMENDING SECTION 59-63-130, RELATING TO 
MANDATORY REPORTING OF CONDUCT PROHIBITED UNDER THE SAFE SCHOOL CLIMATE ACT, SO 
AS TO PROVIDE PENALTIES FOR NONCOMPLIANCE; AND BY AMENDING SECTION 59-63-150, 
RELATING TO REMEDIES AND IMMUNITIES UNDER THE SAFE SCHOOL CLIMATE ACT, SO AS TO 
IMPOSE STRINGENT PENALTIES FOR NONCOMPLIANCE.

Be it enacted by the 
General Assembly of the State of South Carolina:

SECTION 1. Article 2, Chapter 63, Title 59 of the S.C. Code is 
amended by adding:

 Section 
59-63-155. (A) Before January 1, 2027, the State 
Department of Education shall develop a standard form which then must be used 
by all school districts in the State to report incidents of harassment, 
intimidation, and bullying on property of the school or at school sanctioned 
extracurricular activities not on the property of the school. The form must 
define what constitutes harassment, intimidation, or bullying activity required 
to be reported consistent with the definition in Section 59-63-120 and must 
provide for the collection of information concerning the incident including, 
but not limited to, the:

 (1) 
description of the harassment, intimidation, or bullying incident;

 (2) 
whether the incident also was reported as a crime as required by this section;

 (3) 
age and sex of offender and whether the offender is a student, and if the 
offender is a student, age and sex of the victim, and whether the victim is a 
student, and if the victim:

 (a) 
is a student, whether he attended the school where the crime occurred or a 
different school; and

 (b) 
is not a student, whether he was employed at the school and, if so, in what 
capacity;

 (4) 
age and sex of the victim and whether the victim is a student, and if the 
victim:

 (a) 
is a student, whether he attended the school where the crime occurred or a 
different school; and

 (b) 
is not a student, whether he was employed at the school and, if so, in what 
capacity;

 (5) 
where, at what time, and under what circumstances the incident occurred;

 (6) 
the cost of the incident to the school and to the victim;

 (7) 
whether the person who reported the incident was the victim, another student, a 
teacher or staff member, a visitor to the school, or anonymous; and

 (8) 
what action was taken by the school administration. 

 (B)(1) On forms prepared and supplied by 
the State Department of Education, each school district in the State quarterly 
shall compile and report to the department all incidents of harassment, 
intimidation, or bullying on property of the school or at school sanctioned 
extracurricular activities not on the property of the school. The first report 
is due May 1, 2027, and will cover the first quarter of 2027. Subsequent 
reports are due quarterly thereafter, each being due thirty days after the end 
of the reporting period.

 (2) 
The department shall compile the information received from the districts and 
annually, no later than January thirty first of the year following the 
districts' final quarterly reports of the school year, make a report to the 
General Assembly on the findings. In addition, the department shall, upon 
receipt, forward all information concerning such incidents to the Office of the 
Attorney General. The Attorney General shall use this information in the 
supervision of the prosecution of school crime. If any state agency or law 
enforcement agency determines that a school or district has failed to timely 
report an incident as required in this subsection, the agency shall report the 
findings to the Office of the Attorney General, who shall publish the findings on 
its Internet website.

 (C) A 
school administrator who fails to report an incident of harassment, 
intimidation, or bullying on the property of the school or at school sanctioned 
extracurricular activities not on the property of the school as provided in 
this section or who otherwise fails to comply with the provisions of this 
section subjects:

 (1) 
the administrator and the school district to liability for payment of a party's 
attorney's fees and the costs associated with an action to seek a writ of 
mandamus to compel the administrator and school district to comply with the 
provisions of this section; and

 (2) 
the administrator to a fine of five hundred dollars for each unreported 
incident and