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Anti-bullying bill advances in state Legislature

E-mail|Link|Comments () February 23, 2010 07:02 PM

By James Vaznis, Globe Staff

A state legislative committee approved a bill today that aims to dramatically reduce bullying at schools.

The bill, backed by the Joint Committee on Education, now heads to the Senate.

The bill would "prohibit bullying at school and at all school facilities; at school-sponsored or school-related functions; on school buses and at school bus stops; through the use of technology or an electronic device owned, licensed, or used by a school; and at non-school-related locations and through non-school technology or electronic devices if the bullying affects the school environment," according to a summary released by the committee.

It also would mandate that children on the autism spectrum receive training on how to avoid and respond to bullying. A number of autistic children have been targeted by bullies at schools across the state.

The bill advanced amid an uproar over bullying that allegedly led a South Hadley High School freshman to kill herself last month.

"The bill takes a comprehensive approach and includes significant prevention measures," state Representative Martha M. Walz, a Boston Democrat who co-chairs the education committee, said in an interview today. "It also includes important requirements that school staff must report incidences of bullying and requires that principals immediately investigate any reports of bullying. The goal is to ensure that school climates are safe and respectful for all students."

The state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education would have to develop bullying-prevention and intervention plans, which school districts could use as a resource. Every school district in the state would be required to develop such a plan, using either the state's recommendation or an independently developed one.

Governor Deval Patrick hailed the bill, saying in a statement, "The time for action against bullying is now and I commend the Legislature for moving this bill forward. As governor and as a parent, I cannot and will not accept children feeling unsafe at school. Let's give teachers and administrators the tools they need to make schools safer places."