New Jersey Lawmakers Approve "Nation's Toughest" Anti-Bullying Bill

The AP (11/23, Mulvihill) reports, "A law against bullying in schools, which advocates call the nation's toughest because it requires schools to develop anti-harassment programs, was approved Monday in New Jersey. The state General Assembly and Senate both passed the bill overwhelmingly and sent it to the desk of Republican Gov. Chris Christie" who said "he hadn't read the bill but that the state's lawyers have raised concerns over whether its provisions infringe on constitutional rights." According to the AP, the "bill would require anti-bullying programs in public schools and language in college codes of conduct to address bullying."

 

New Jersey Today (11/22) added that the bill "is the product of nearly a year of research and discussions with top bullying experts, advocates and victims in an effort to combat harassment, intimidation and bullying among students. ... The legislation will provide school administrators with the tools they need to respond to instances of harassment, intimidation and bullying in a timely and effective manner." Also, "the bill requires annual reporting on bullying instances from schools and districts to be passed up directly to the Commissioner of Education and it grades each school on how it handles bullying, harassment and intimidation." The New Jersey Newsroom (11/23) also covers this story.