Do You Know the Law in Your State?
As the nation becomes increasingly aware of the dangers of bullying in U.S. schools, anti-bullying laws are being proposed in dozens of states. Some states (Delaware, Florida, Washington, West Virginia, and more) have already enacted anti-bullying laws, some states are in the process, and others have made no attempts to pass an anti-bullying law.
As of June 2007, a total of 35 states had laws that address harassment, intimidation, and bullying at school. With a clear definition of bullying, schools will be required to enforce uniform standards of conduct.
A state that has a comprehensive anti-bullying law is at an advantage in the battle against bullying. When law backs policy it can give the policy some teeth; meaning that school-district personnel, administrators, teachers, and parents can't simply ignore the bullying problem in schools.
Alert!
In the report “Indicators of School Crime and Safety: 2007,” released by the Bureau of Justice Statistics and the National Center for Education Statistics, 28 percent of students ages 12 to 18 reported being bullied at school during the past six months. Of those bullied, 24 percent reported they had sustained an injury as a result of the bullying incident.
Schools can now be required to implement anti-bullying programs and personnel will be required to address and correct situations that involve bullying within the schools. Policies can be ignored; laws are harder to ignore. And if a law is ignored, the consequences can be significant.
If you discover that your state currently has no anti-bullying law and you wish to become involved in supporting one in your state, there are several things you can do to get the process started. Brenda High, founder of Bully Police USA, recommends steps similar to these.
Start an E-mail Campaign
Contact your State Legislative Committee and Senate Education Committee and request the contact information for the chairperson. Call or e-mail the heads of these committees, explaining that you believe your state is in need of an anti-bullying law. Explain why this is important to you. Pass the contact information along to your friends and family and ask that they also call or send e-mail requests for an anti-bullying law. Ask them to forward the request to everyone they know to do the same.
Meet in Person
Set up a meeting with the committee chairs. Don't be shy. Bring along several other concerned parents. Be sure to bring copies of the written laws from several other states that have enacted comprehensive anti-bullying laws. Give these to the committee chairs and ask that they support efforts to enact an anti-bullying law in your state.
Increase Public Awareness
Hold a public meeting and invite everyone interested in keeping kids safe from bullying (parents, teachers, administrators, police, etc.). Invite a legislator to attend in order to explain how citizens can lobby for a law. Contact local media to attend the meeting and ask that they write an article or do a story on your efforts.
Fact
Brenda High's 13-year-old son, Jared, committed suicide in 1998 in response to being bullied at school. Since Jared's death, Brenda founded Bully Police USA, and has been diligently working toward getting anti-bullying laws passed or revised. She has influenced the passage of laws in numerous states, including Jared's Law in Idaho, named after her son.
Inform Important People
Visit your state's education superintendent to discuss your hopes for an anti-bullying law. Do your homework and bring him information on how schools can implement anti-bullying programs for little cost.
Seek Support
Don't be afraid to contact the governor, congressmen or congresswomen, senators, etc. Think big; you just may find a high-profile supporter for your cause. Keep at it, keep meeting with people in public office, and don't give up. The more publicity you get for your efforts the better.
Many of the existing state anti-bullying laws began as the grassroots efforts of one or more parents of a bullied child. A few parents of children who committed suicide as the result of being bullied have successfully lobbied their states to pass anti-bullying laws in the names of their deceased children. It is a testament to what one person can do when he sets his mind to it.
