School leaders are mandated to report instances of bullying to the police and child protection services.

Failure to adhere to these obligations may result in administrative penalties, as stated by education ombudsman Nadia Leshchyk.

She explained that school and kindergarten directors are obliged to respond to verbal or written reports of violence or maltreatment of children. The law stipulates a timeframe of one day after receiving a complaint.

If a director detects signs of bullying, they must immediately inform the child's parents or guardians and submit a written report to the police and child protection services.

Nadia Leshchyk emphasized that such reporting is crucial for holding perpetrators and their parents (in the case of students) accountable. Following such a report, police may initiate an investigation, and a court will later determine whether the child was indeed bullied.

“Not every report (from the institution head – ed.) may involve bullying; sometimes, it can be a one-time act of violence, but it cannot be ignored – this is also maltreatment, and it is up to the police to determine whether there are grounds for initiating criminal proceedings or drafting a protocol for administrative violations.

It is the police, and not the educational institution head, who has the authority to classify the maltreatment of a child at the time of receiving such a report,” explained the ombudsman.

According to her, school directors or committees reviewing bullying cases do not have the right to conclude whether a child has indeed been bullied but can identify signs of harassment to include in their report to the police and decide on further actions within the educational institution.

If a school director fails to report to the police, they may face administrative penalties under part 5 of Article 173-4 of the Code of Administrative Offenses. This could result in 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 courts typically impose fines on offenders.

Reports to the education ombudsman indicate that some leaders do not notify law enforcement due to fears of damaging the institution's reputation or concerns that the situation will become public.

Additionally, directors mistakenly believe that they should report to the police only after a special commission reviews the bullying report.

“However, ignoring such situations does not resolve the issue but only exacerbates it and leads to negative consequences for all participants in the educational process, including the institution head,” believes Nadia Leshchyk.

Previously, the Ministry of Education and Science established a mechanism for quickly reporting bullying in schools. Students or their parents can fill out a brief questionnaire and submit a complaint electronically.