Antibullying bill clears conference committee

By Peter Schworm, Globe Staff

Sweeping antibullying legislation is poised for passage after lawmakers today struck agreement on a measure that would require school employees to report all bullying incidents and require principals to investigate them.

The bill now moves to the House of Representatives and Senate, where it is expected to win overwhelming approval as soon as tomorrow. The conference report can be found here.

Governor Deval Patrick has voiced strong support for the bill, which gained momentum after the highly publicized deaths of 15-year-old Phoebe Prince and 11-year-old Carl Joseph Walker-Hoover, who took their own lives after being bullied.

Representative Martha Walz, the bill's primary author, said the mandatory reporting requirements will help deter bullying and prevent it from reaching dangerous proportions.

"When this passes, it will the strongest antibullying legislation in the country," said Walz, a Boston Democrat.

It requires principals to notify parents of both the aggressor and the victim, legislators said.

Massachusetts is one of only seven states without a specific law targeting school bullying, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.