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REFERENCE TITLE: school liability; bullying; serious injury |
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State of Arizona Senate Fifty-seventh Legislature Second Regular Session 2026
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SB 1684 |
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Introduced by Senator Bolick
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AN ACT
Amending title 15, chapter 1, article 1, Arizona Revised Statutes, by adding section 15-120.08; relating to public schools.
(TEXT OF BILL BEGINS ON NEXT PAGE)
Be it enacted by the Legislature of the State of Arizona:
Section 1. Title 15, chapter 1, article 1, Arizona Revised Statutes, is amended by adding section 15-120.08, to read:
15-120.08. School liability; bullying; serious physical injury; court action; definition
A. A student or a student's parent may bring a cause of action against a public school for damages caused by the school's failure to address a threat to the student's safety if all of the following apply:
1. The student suffers serious physical injury as a result of bullying by another student.
2. The school or an employee of the school, including an individual who is indirectly employed through a third-party contractor, receives at least one prior report that the other student committed an act of bullying against the injured student.
3. The school negligently failed to address the suspected act of bullying committed by the other student and against the injured student after receiving a prior report.
B. The court may award reasonable attorney fees, expenses and damages to any claimant who substantially prevails in an action BROUGHT pursuant to this section.
C. For the purposes of this section, "prior report" includes:
1. A written or verbal report that any individual makes to an employee of the school.
2. A school employee's personal observation of conduct that the employee reasonably believes constitutes an act of bullying.