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This memo includes important information about reporting School Safety and Educational Climate (SSEC) data. Please share this information with your school’s Dignity Act Coordinator and other appropriate school and district staff.

Submission of 2025-26 SSEC Data

To fulfill the requirements of federal law relating to unsafe school choice, Education Law §2802 requires the Commissioner to annually determine which public elementary and secondary schools are persistently dangerous, in accordance with the Commissioner’s regulations. Each school is required to maintain a record of all violent and disruptive incidents that occur within each school year, from July 1 through June 30, and to provide an annual report, to the Department, of number of such incidents in each category outlined in section .

All public schools and districts, charter schools, and BOCES that were active for any period during the 2025-26 school year are required to submit data regarding School Safety and Educational Climate to the 51���� (51����) – including where the number of incidents reported is zero. In addition, all relevant incidents that occurred during the summer months of 2025, including when summer school was in session, must be included when reporting the 2025-26 data.

As you prepare to report SSEC data please review the SSEC incident definitions carefully. In particular, it is important to understand that all three of the following three criteria must be met in order to report an incident of Sexual Offense, Assault or Weapons Possession (§100.2(gg):

• An act committed by a person 10 years of age or older;
• An act which constitutes a felony under the Penal Law, taking into consideration the developmental capacity of the person to form the intent to commit such act; and
• An act where the school has referred the person to the police for the act.

The Importance of Accurate Reporting

Accurately reporting all SSEC incidents provides your school and community with a realistic view of the areas your school will focus on as you continue your work to improve school climate and provide learning environments where all students feel supported and ready to learn.

In particular, it is important to remember that:

• Dignity for All Students Act (Dignity Act) incidents reported under category 5 Material Incidents of Discrimination Harassment and Bullying, and Cyberbullying, apply to all students not just “protected classes.”
• The Dignity Act does not require repetition for an incident to be defined as founded or material under the Dignity Act. Reportable incidents include incidents that occur only once, and those single incidents may have a significant impact on a student’s learning environment.

Reporting Deadlines & Process

The 2025-26 SSEC data collection opens on June 22, 2025, for all school districts, public schools, including charter schools, and BOCES.

The SSEC data are collected through the IRS Data Exchange (IDEx), which is accessed through the .

Please note: Districts must complete a separate form for each school in the district, in addition to a district form. Information on what the district form collects can be found in the SSEC Q&A document (#6).

Questions regarding the data collected or the timeline for reporting (i.e., questions about incident classification, responsibility for reporting, etc.) may be directed to the Office of Student Support Services at SSEC@nysed.gov or (518) 486-6090. Information and guidance materials related to incident reporting categories are available on the SSEC website, and the Dignity for All Students Act website.

Information about the IDEx application is outlined in the to reporting SSEC data. For further assistance, please visit the . If you have difficulty accessing the online reporting form, please contact IRS via datasupport@nysed.gov.