All children have the right to attend school in a safe, welcoming, and caring environment. The Dignity for All Students Act (DASA) aims to ensure this for New York State public school students. Read more about DASA below.

Report a Bullying Incident

If you need to report a suspected bullying incident, please email reportbullying@cairodurham.org and provide the following information (please put the name of the school in the subject line):

• School building

• Name of the targeted student

• Name(s) of the offending student(s)

• Where the incident occurred (e.g., on school property, on a bus, at a school-sponsored event, online/social media)

• Date of the suspected bullying incident

• Description of the incident (please be as detailed as possible)

• Names of anyone who may have seen or heard what happened

Reported bullying incidents are investigated and handled according to district policy. 

DASA Coordinators

District-Wide Dignity Act Coordinator

Doug Morrissey, Director of Pupil Services

Email: dmorrissey@cairodurham.org

Phone: 518-622-0261

Dotan Schips, Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum and Instruction

Email: dschips@cairodurham.org

Phone: 518-622-0490

Bullying Prevention

Click here for parent resources to help you address the topic of bullying with your children.

Click here for student resources on bullying and what you can do to help stop bullying in our schools.

Cairo-Durham offers many programs throughout the school year that are intended to create a safe, bullying-free learning environment. We offer programs for both students and parents. Here are some examples of past programs, presentations and activities:

• Sources of Strength

• Senior peer mentors

• Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS)

• Mix-it-Up Day

• Conflict Resolution with Common Ground (6th grade)

• No Name-Calling Week (GLSEN)

• "Breaking the Cycle"

• "Champion of Choices" with Marc Mero

• Sweethearts & Heroes community seminar

• Unified sports

• Mustang Mayhem and Spirit Week to promote a positive environment

• Pride Center visits 

• Cyberbullying presentations

All children have the right to attend school in a safe, welcoming, and caring environment. The Dignity for All Students Act (DASA) specifically ensures this for New York State public school students. DASA was signed into law on September 13, 2010. The legislation amended State Education Law by creating a new Article 2, Dignity for All Students, and revising Section 801-a regarding instruction in civility, citizenship, character education, tolerance, respect for others, and dignity. It combats bias-based bullying, harassment, and discrimination in public schools, and includes awareness and sensitivity in the relations of people including individuals of different races, weights, national origins, ethnicity, religions or religious practices, mental or physical abilities, sexes, sexual orientations, gender identities or expressions.

• DASA promotes civility and creates a safe nurturing environment.

• DASA provides a response to students who are harassed and bullied at school.

Dignity Act § 11: Harassment – the creation of a hostile environment by:

• conduct, verbal threats, intimidation or abuse that reasonably causes or would reasonably be expected to cause a student to fear for their physical safety

• conduct, verbal threats, intimidation or abuse includes but is not limited to conduct, verbal threats, intimidation or abuse based on a person's actual or perceived race, color, weight, national origin, ethnic group, religion, religious practice, disability, sexual orientation, gender or sex.

Highlights of the new law, effective July 1, 2012:

• All public elementary and secondary school students are protected.

• DASA prohibits the harassment and discrimination of students by students and by school personnel.

Click here for DASA policy and frequently asked questions documents.