Starting in January, Columbia Public Schools will change the way bullying reports are handled.
After more than a year of discussion, the Columbia School Board unanimously approved the revised bullying policy during a work session Wednesday morning.
The School Board also approved an updated hazing policy and received a master planning update from Robyn O’Roark, a representative from DLR Group. DLR Group is helping the board develop its next major facilities plan.
Bullying policy
Changes to the bullying policy include widening the number of employees required to report bullying incidents, removing any mention of hazing and changing the investigation process.
In August 2025, the district’s policy committee reopened policy JFCF, which outlines how building administrators respond to reported bullying incidents. The board delayed its vote on the revised policy several times for reasons including the need for public feedback and clarification of policy language.
“This is one of those policies where we want to make sure we’re getting it as right as possible,” School Board President John Lyman said. “We’re probably going to have to go back and look at it again.”
Lyman said in the meeting that the board would revisit the policy in August 2027, once it has been implemented for a while.
The revised policy broadens the list of employees who are required to report bullying incidents. The list now includes school employees, substitutes and educational contractors that work directly with students and volunteers.
When incidents of bullying are reported, investigations must start within two school days and be completed within 10 school days. The new policy now requires the parents or guardians of both the alleged victim and perpetrator to be notified if the school extends the investigation.
After the investigation is complete, the written results must be sent to the parents or guardians of the alleged victim and perpetrator. District staff will be required to notify parents about how they can request a review of the investigation.
“A lot of times, parents go, ‘OK, great, I got this. Now where do I go?’” board member April Ferrao said.
The bullying policy was last updated in 2017, according to the school district's website.
Facilities update
The School Board also heard an update about the conditions of district facilities. Members reviewed results from a community survey and looked at potential plans of action.
There were 972 responses from a community survey for the long-range facilities plan. Out of these respondents, 724 selected maintenance and repair as a top-five investment area. No. 2 on the list, favored by 679 respondents, was safety and security.
The School Board was shown a draft of the Columbia Public Schools Facilities Planning Dashboard. The interactive dashboard shows information about each building in the district.
The dashboard, which will be made public, includes essential and future maintenance needs for each building. Each building is assigned a score based on the facility condition index and educational adequacy.
The facilities audit of district buildings, which is conducted regularly, is especially important right now, as the Long-Range Facilities Planning Committee develops its next 10-year plan. The second of three open houses to solicit public feedback was scheduled to be held later Wednesday.
