Jack Reid Law

On October 23, 2025, Governor Kathy Hochul enacted the Jack Reid Law (the Reid Law), amending the New York Education Code to extend certain protections to students attending nonpublic elementary and secondary schools, similar to the public school Dignity for All Students Act (DASA).

The Reid Law provides that “[n]o student shall be subjected to harassment or bullying, including cyberbullying, by other students on school property or at a school function.” It defines “harassment” and “bullying” collectively as the “creation of a hostile environment by [verbal or non-verbal] conduct, or by threats, intimidation, or abuse, including cyberbullying, that

• has or would have the effect of unreasonably and substantially interfering with a student’s educational performance, opportunities or benefits, or mental, emotional or physical well-being;

• reasonably causes or would reasonably be expected to cause a student to fear for their physical safety;

• reasonably causes or would reasonably be expected to cause physical injury or emotional harm to a student; or

• occurs off school property and creates, or would foreseeably create, a risk of substantial disruption within the school environment, where it is foreseeable that the conduct, threats, intimidation or abuse might reach school property.”

“Cyberbullying” is defined as harassment or bullying that “occurs through any form of electronic communication.”