To develop safe and healthy school environments, schools must be able to respond to bullying and harassment appropriately and take deliberate action to prevent it. This includes incidences where the bullying taking place is based on or related to a student’s identity, such as their race, ethnicity, national origin, sex, gender, religion or disability status.
IDRA’s package includes a policy brief, model policy for state-level legislation, school board policy and an advocacy guide.
This brief describes what identity-based bullying is, how pervasive it is, key reasons we
need to address it and highlights of policy elements. (This brief is also available in the model policy full package.)
This advocacy guide was designed to help students and the adults that support them advocate for changes in local school board policies to define and respond to identity-based bullying in schools. (This guide is also available in the model policy full package.)
IDRA Interrupting Bullying & Harassment in Schools – Online Technical Assistance Toolkit
– designed to give educators and school leaders the tools that they need to
prevent bullying and harassment by fostering a positive school climate. This
package includes five chapters, each with a video and supporting resources.
Literature Review Bullying and Harassment in Schools, Second Edition, by Gretchen
Brion-Meisels, Ed.D.; Eliza O’Neil, Ed.M.; & Sarah Bishop, M.A., Paige Duggins-Clay, J.D.
Identity-based Bullying in Texas Schools – Policy Recommendations – IDRA Issue Brief, by Paige Duggins-Clay, J.D., and Makiah Lyons (in English & Spanish)
What Safe Schools Should Look Like for Every Student – A Guide to Building Safe and Welcoming Schools and Rejecting Policies that Hurt Students – IDRA Issue Brief, by Morgan Craven, J.D.
Federal Civil Rights Protections for Students are Unraveling – Major News Outlets Cite IDRA Experts and Families as Racism Complaints Remain Unresolved, IDRA, January 7, 2026
Monkey Sounds, “White Power” and the N-Word: Racial Harassment Against Black Students Ignored Under Trump, by Jennifer Smith Richards, Megan O’Matz and Jodi S. Cohen, ProPublica, December 19, 2025
Epithets and accusations: Probes into racism in schools stall under Trump, by Meredith Kolodner, The Washington Post, December 19, 2025
Probes into racism in schools stall under Trump, by Meredith Kolodner, Hechinger Report, December 19, 2025
Black Students Face Racism In Texas Schools With No Support, by Joe Jurado, News One, December 19, 2025
Texas School District Takes Action to Prevent Identity-based Bullying in Schools– Statement by IDRA, Round Rock ISD, Black Parents and Families Collective, and Access Education RRISD, May 17, 2024
Round Rock trustees considering update to policy on campus bullying, Fernanda Figueroa, Austin American-Statesman, April 19, 2024
Round Rock ISD board to discuss potential updates to bullying, foreign exchange student policies, by Brooke Sjoberg, Community Impact, April 18, 2024
Schools Should Prioritize Prevention, Education and Support Over Exclusionary Discipline in Cases of Identity-Based Bullying and Harassment – IDRA Statement by Morgan Craven, J.D., IDRA National Director of Policy, Advocacy and Community Engagement, January 12, 2023
End Identity-based Bullying in Texas Schools – News Conference for Hearing on HB 4625, April 2023
Bill Filed – Texas Must Prohibit and Prevent Racial Bullying in Schools, March 2023
Texas school district accused of inaction over racist bullying of Black students, Antonia Hylton, NBC Nightly News, December 15, 2022
Black Lubbock, Tx Area Students Describe Relentless, Racist Attacks from Classmates, Katy
Ture Reports, MSNBC, December 15, 2022
Claims of racism in Lubbock-area schools make national news, by Wes Rumbelow,
EverythingLubbock/KLBK-TV (CBS-Lubbock), December 15, 2022
‘This Is the Only Way’: Black Texas Student Slapped Bully Who Called Her the N-Word;
She Faced Severe Discipline, Driving Her Into a Mental Institution, by
Nyamekye Daniel, Atlanta Black Star, December 15, 2022
West Texas parents are suing their schools over racism as others demand action over
antisemitic bullying, by Jayme Lozano, The Texas Tribune, December 14, 2022
(also ran in KERA, December 15, 2022)
Families demand action after civil rights complaints filed against Lubbock-Cooper ISD,
Slaton ISD, by Jaxie Pidgeon, EverythingLubbock, December 13, 2022
Texas high school accused of ignoring ‘daily’ racist harassment of Black students in
federal complaint, Josh Marcus, The Independent, December 13, 2022
Taunted for being Black, a student fought back, civil rights complaint says. The 30-second fight derailed her life, by Mike Hixenbaugh, NBC News, December 12, 2022
Federal civil rights complaint alleging racism filed against Lubbock-Cooper ISD, by Sarah Self-Walbrick, KTTZ (NPR), December 12, 2022
Families at Lubbock-Cooper ISD, Slaton ISD file complaints of civil rights violations, by Caitlyn Rooney, EverythingLubbock/KLBK-TV (CBS-Lubbock), December 12, 2022
NAACP, parents address school board, by Brittany Michaleson KCBD-TV (NBC Lubbock), December 12, 2022
IDRA Urges State Leaders to Recommit to Fully Funding Georgia’s Public Schools Instead of Expanding Privatization Mikayla Arciaga, M.A.Ed., IDRA Georgia Education Advocacy Director Key
