BRAVE Act

Bullying Redress and Verified Enforcement Act or the BRAVE Act

This bill amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA) to require a local educational agency (LEA) employee who becomes aware of bullying to report to an LEA-designated individual, within seven business days: (1) the acts that constituted the bullying; (2) the victim's protected characteristic, whether actual or perceived, if the bullying included a reference to or was motivated by such characteristic; and (3) the response of the LEA's employees to the bullying.

The LEA-designated individual must, within 60 days after receiving such a report, inform all the LEA's employees of the acts described and the response of the LEA's employees.

Each LEA shall annually review its policies on bullying.

In addition, each LEA must publish and make available to students and parents a quarterly report that: (1) lists the number of bullying reports made since the previous quarterly report, and (2) informs the public of the right to file a complaint with the Office of Civil Rights (OCR) within the Department of Education (ED). OCR shall: (1) establish and publish complaint procedures; (2) investigate each complaint; (3) withhold ESEA funds from, issue a complaint against, or enter into a compliance agreement with any noncompliant LEA; and (4) make information about each complaint available on ED's website.

The bill conditions an LEA's receipt of ESEA funds on its: (1) annual written certification to ED that it is in compliance with the bill's requirements, and (2) submission of its four most recent quarterly reports on bullying.