School Leaders' Responsibilities in Bullying Cases

School principals are required to report incidents of bullying to the police and child protection services.

They may face administrative penalties for failing to report such situations, as noted by the educational ombudswoman Nadia Leshchik.

The official explained that school and kindergarten directors must consider oral or written reports of violence or abuse against children. The law sets a short timeframe of one day after receiving the complaint.

If the head of the institution identifies signs of bullying, they must promptly inform the child's parents or guardians and submit a written statement to the police and child services.

Nadia Leshchik emphasized that such reporting is crucial for holding perpetrators and their parents (if they are schoolchildren) accountable. Following this report, police may open a case, and the court will later determine whether the child experienced bullying.

“Not every statement from the head of the institution may specifically refer to bullying; sometimes, it may involve a one-time act of violence, but it should never be ignored – it is also abusive behavior, and the police will decide whether there are grounds for opening a criminal case or drafting an administrative violation report.

The police, not the education institution leaders, have the authority to classify child abuse incidents upon receiving such reports,” explained the educational ombudswoman.

According to her, directors or committees examining bullying cases in schools are not authorized to make conclusions about whether a child has indeed been bullied, but they can identify signs of maltreatment to include in their report to the police and decide on further actions within the educational institution.

If a school director fails to notify the police, they may face administrative responsibility under part 5 of Article 173-4 of the Code of Administrative Offenses. In this case, the director risks a fine (ranging from 425 to 850 UAH) or corrective labor for up to one month with a deduction of up to 20% of their salary.

Judicial practice shows that fines are often imposed on offenders.

Reports to the office of the educational ombudswoman indicate that some leaders do not inform law enforcement due to concerns about the institution's reputation or fear of public exposure.

Moreover, directors mistakenly believe that reporting to the police should occur only after the bullying report has been reviewed by a special committee.

“However, ignoring such situations does not resolve the issue; it only exacerbates the problem and leads to negative consequences for all participants in the educational process, including the head of the institution,” stated Nadia Leshchik.

Earlier, the Ministry of Education and Science established a mechanism for quickly reporting bullying in schools, allowing students or their parents to fill out a brief form and send their complaint electronically.