The NYS DASA incident report form is the document you use to report harassment, bullying, discrimination, or cyberbullying against a student in a New York public school. Anyone can file it — the targeted student, a parent, a classmate who witnessed the conduct, or a staff member — and it goes to the school’s Dignity Act Coordinator or principal. Submitting it triggers the school’s legal obligation under New York Education Law Article 2 to investigate promptly, notify the families involved, and take action if the conduct is verified.
What the Form Is For
Under New York Education Law §12, no student may be subjected to harassment or bullying by employees or other students on school property or at a school function, and discrimination is prohibited based on a student’s actual or perceived race, color, weight, national origin, ethnic group, religion, religious practice, disability, sexual orientation, gender, or sex.1New York State Senate. New York Education Code 12 – Discrimination and Harassment Prohibited State regulations define reportable harassment or bullying as conduct, threats, intimidation, or abuse — including cyberbullying — that unreasonably and substantially interferes with a student’s education or well-being, or that reasonably causes or would cause physical injury or fear of physical harm.2New York State Education Department. 8 NYCRR Section 100.2
A single severe incident is enough. It does not have to be repeated to be reportable, and the conduct does not have to target a protected category — general bullying qualifies.
Reportable conduct includes anything that occurs on school property (buildings, athletic fields, playgrounds, parking lots, and school buses), at any school function including off-campus field trips and extracurriculars, or off campus when the behavior — including electronic communication — creates or would foreseeably create a risk of substantial disruption inside the school.2New York State Education Department. 8 NYCRR Section 100.2 Off-campus cyberbullying is the category people underestimate. A social media post made from home on a weekend can be reportable if it foreseeably reaches the school and disrupts a student’s ability to participate.
Where to Get the Form
Most districts post their DASA incident report form on the district or school website, usually under student services, safety, or the code of conduct. You can also request a paper copy from the main office or from the school’s Dignity Act Coordinator. Every New York public school district must designate at least one coordinator and share that person’s identity with students, staff, and parents.3New York State Education Department. Dignity for All Students Act Requirements for Schools If you cannot find the coordinator’s name, check the student handbook or code of conduct; districts must include an age-appropriate version of the anti-harassment policy in the code of conduct.1New York State Senate. New York Education Code 12 – Discrimination and Harassment Prohibited
You are not required to use the school’s specific form. Education Law §13 requires districts to have procedures allowing students and parents to make oral or written reports to teachers, administrators, or other designated personnel.4New York State Senate. New York Education Code 13 – Policies and Guidelines A letter, email, or verbal report will also start the process. The standardized form is worth using because it prompts you for everything the school needs to act.
Anonymous reports are allowed, and the school must still investigate them.5New York State Education Department. Dignity for All Students Act Information Guide The trade-off is that the school may not be able to follow up with you about the outcome.
How to Fill It Out
Gather your facts before you start. Useful reports are specific and factual, not emotional. Most forms will ask for the following:
- The full name of the targeted student, and the name of the student or employee who engaged in the behavior if you know it.
- Date, time, and location, as precise as you can make them. “Tuesday, March 4, during fifth-period lunch in the east cafeteria” lets administrators pull security footage and match staff schedules; “last week in the lunchroom” does not.
- The type of conduct. Forms usually have checkboxes for categories like physical aggression, verbal harassment, cyberbullying, threats, and intimidation. Check every box that applies.
- The bias category, if any. If the conduct targeted a protected characteristic such as race, weight, disability, or sexual orientation, identify it. Verified bias-based incidents are tracked separately.
- A narrative description. Write a factual, chronological account. “Student A shoved Student B into the locker and called them [specific slur]” is more useful than “Student A was mean to Student B.” For electronic communication, note the platform, approximate time, and whether screenshots exist.
- Witnesses. List any students or staff who saw or heard what happened. The school will interview them.
- Pattern information. Say whether this is a first occurrence or part of an ongoing pattern, and reference prior report dates if you have them.
- Your contact information, if you are not the targeted student and you want the school to follow up. Skip this if you are filing anonymously.
The most common mistake is writing the narrative as an opinion about the other student’s character rather than a description of what they did. Stick to observable actions and direct quotes. Investigators need facts they can verify, not conclusions they are asked to adopt.
How to Submit It
Deliver the completed form to the Dignity Act Coordinator or principal. You can hand-deliver a paper copy to the main office or send it through a secure school email address. When you submit in person, ask for a signed acknowledgment of receipt or a time-stamped copy. That is your proof the school received the report, and it starts the clock on the school’s response.
If you make an oral report first, which is allowed, a separate internal timeline kicks in. Any school employee who witnesses harassment or receives an oral or written report must orally notify the principal or superintendent within one school day, then file a written report within two school days after that oral notification.4New York State Senate. New York Education Code 13 – Policies and Guidelines So if you tell a teacher on Monday, that teacher must notify the principal by Tuesday and file the written report by Thursday. Knowing this timeline gives you a way to check whether the school is meeting its obligations.
If the conduct may be criminal — threats of violence, physical assault, sexual harassment — the principal is required to notify local law enforcement when they believe the behavior constitutes criminal conduct.4New York State Senate. New York Education Code 13 – Policies and Guidelines Filing a DASA report does not stop you from contacting police yourself.
What Happens After You Submit
Once the school has a written report, the Dignity Act Coordinator or principal must lead or supervise a thorough investigation and complete it promptly.5New York State Education Department. Dignity for All Students Act Information Guide The law does not set a fixed number of days. What counts as prompt depends on the complexity of the situation. A straightforward incident with clear witnesses may take a few days; cyberbullying across multiple platforms can take longer.
The investigation typically involves interviewing the targeted student, the accused student, and any witnesses named in the report. The school must also notify the parents or guardians of the students involved.
If the investigation verifies that harassment, bullying, or discrimination occurred, the school must take prompt action reasonably calculated to end the behavior, eliminate the hostile environment, prevent recurrence, and ensure the targeted student’s safety.4New York State Senate. New York Education Code 13 – Policies and Guidelines The response varies by case and can include discipline, schedule changes, counseling referrals, or increased supervision. The school will not tell you the specific discipline imposed on another student. Federal privacy rules under FERPA restrict disclosure of other students’ educational records without consent.
Retaliation Protection
New York law prohibits retaliation against anyone who reports harassment, bullying, or discrimination in good faith, or who assists in an investigation.4New York State Senate. New York Education Code 13 – Policies and Guidelines Retaliation can come from students, staff, or administrators, and it is itself a reportable incident. If your child is punished, excluded, or treated worse after you file, document what is happening and file a new report that references the original. The same protection covers witnesses who cooperated with the investigation.
If the School Does Not Act
If the investigation was never conducted, took unreasonably long, or reached a conclusion the evidence does not support, you have two escalation paths, and they are independent — you can pursue both.
Appeal to the Commissioner of Education
You can file an appeal with the New York State Commissioner of Education within 30 days of the district’s decision or failure to act.6New York State Education Department. Decision No. 18348 The Commissioner will overturn a district’s determination only if it was arbitrary or capricious, so your appeal should point to specific facts showing the school ignored evidence, failed to investigate, or reached a conclusion no reasonable person would reach. One limit worth knowing up front: the Commissioner has held that parents lack standing to compel discipline against another parent’s child, so you cannot use this process to force a particular punishment.
Federal Complaint to the Office for Civil Rights
When the harassment involves a federally protected category — race, color, national origin, sex, or disability — you can file a discrimination complaint with the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights, generally within 180 days of the last act of discrimination.7U.S. Department of Education. OCR Discrimination Complaint Form You can request a waiver of the deadline for good cause.
OCR acts as a neutral fact-finder, reviewing evidence from both sides, interviewing witnesses, and sometimes conducting site visits. If it finds a violation, it will try to negotiate a voluntary resolution agreement requiring corrective action. If the school refuses, OCR can move to suspend or terminate the district’s federal funding.8U.S. Department of Education. How the Office for Civil Rights Handles Complaints