State Laws Related to Bullying Among Children and Youth (page 2)

Directives in bullying laws

• Most state laws require or encourage that school officials (typically school boards) develop a policy to prohibit bullying, as in the following example.

Louisiana: “Each city, parish, or other local public school board shall adopt and incorporate into the student code of conduct…a policy prohibiting the harassment, intimidation, and bullying of a student by another student.” • Several state laws encourage schools to implement a bullying prevention program (e.g., Colorado, New Jersey, and Oklahoma).

• Several states encourage or require employee training on bullying and bullying prevention (e.g., Georgia, New Hampshire, Oklahoma, Washington, and West Virginia).
• At least six states require or encourage individuals to report school bullying incidents to authorities (e.g., Connecticut, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Washington, and West Virginia).
• Some laws emphasize the importance of disciplinary action for children who bully (e.g., Georgia, New Jersey, and West Virginia).
• Two state laws suggest schools improve communication among staff and students related to bullying (New York and Rhode Island).
• One law in West Virginia addresses the need to develop plans to protect children who are bullied.

Model policies

Recognizing the challenge that schools may face in developing anti-bullying policies, several states have issued model policies or published technical advisories that guide educators in the interpretation and implementation of laws (e.g., Colorado, New Hampshire, New Jersey, and Washington).

Conclusions

• Enacting sensitive laws and polices that address bullying in U.S. schools can encourage and support effective bullying prevention and intervention programs in schools.
• Careful evaluations of the implementation of these laws are needed to help guide policy makers.

Current state laws on bullying

References

Limber, S. P., & Small, M. A. (in press). State laws and policies to address bullying in U.S. schools. School Psychology Review.

Nansel, T. R., Overpeck, M., Pilla, R. S., Ruan, J., Simons-Morton, B., & Scheidt, P. (2001). Bullying Behaviors Among US Youth: Prevalence and Association With Psychosocial Adjustment. Journal of the American Medical Association, 285, 2094-2100.

New Jersey Department of Education. (2002). Model policy prohibiting harassment, intimidation and bullying on school property, at schoolsponsored functions, and on school busses (on-line). Retrieved August 12, 2005, from www.nj.gov/njded/parents/bully.htm

Vossekuil, B., Fein, R. A., Reddy, M., Borum, R., & Modzeleski, W. (2002). The final report and findings of the Safe Schools Initiative: Implications for the prevention of school attacks in the United States. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Education, Office of Elementary and Secondary Education, Safe and Drug-Free Schools Program and U.S. Secret Service, National Threat Assessment Center.