The Safe Schools Improvement Act aims to address and prevent bullying and harassment in public elementary and secondary schools by amending the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965. The bill defines bullying as conduct that adversely affects a student's ability to participate in or benefit from educational programs by instilling fear of harm, recognizing its negative impact on learning and student well-being. States receiving federal education grants would be required to ensure their local educational agencies (LEAs) establish comprehensive policies to prevent and prohibit bullying and harassment. These policies must specifically ban conduct that limits a student's participation or creates a hostile educational environment, including acts of verbal, nonverbal, or physical aggression. Crucially, the policies must prohibit bullying or harassment based on a student's actual or perceived race, color, national origin, sex (including sexual orientation, gender identity, and sex characteristics), disability, or religion , as well as similar characteristics of their associates. Furthermore, LEAs would be required to provide annual notice to students, parents, and educators detailing prohibited conduct and establishing clear grievance procedures with designated officials and resolution timelines. To ensure transparency and accountability, LEAs must collect and publicly report annual, accurate, and complete data on the incidence and frequency of prohibited conduct at both the school and local educational agency levels, while protecting the anonymity of individuals. The Act also mandates that states submit biennial reports to the Secretary of Education on the collected data and their plans to support anti-bullying efforts. The Secretary is tasked with conducting independent biennial evaluations of anti-bullying programs and policies, including their effectiveness in reducing incidents and engaging parents, with findings reported to Congress. The bill clarifies that its provisions are in addition to, and do not limit, existing federal and state nondiscrimination laws, nor do they alter free speech protections.