Mass. Lawmakers Pass Anti-Bullying Bill

By WBUR News & Wire Services
Apr 29, 2010, 3:36 PM
1 Comments

BOSTON — Massachusetts lawmakers have unanimously approved a bill cracking down on school bullies and requiring teachers to report incidents of bullying to principals.

The Senate voted 38-0 and the House 159-0 to pass the legislation.

The vote follows two recent suicides of students said to be the victims of intense harassment.

“We’re going to send out a message that this kind of behavior is not acceptable and the community needs to deal with it,” Sen. Robert O’Leary, D-Barnstable, said before the vote. “Everybody needs to step up and say we’re not going to put up with this any longer.”

The bill prohibits bullying on school property and outlaws cyberbullying through e-mail or social media networks like Twitter or Facebook.

The bill (PDF) wouldn’t punish teachers who witness bullying and don’t make a report.

Last year, 11-year-old Carl Walker-Hoover hanged himself in his family’s Springfield home. His mother said he had been harassed by classmates.

In January, 15-year-old Phoebe Prince killed herself after allegedly being bullied at South Hadley High School. A group of her classmates have been charged.

“What we have here is a piece of legislation that truly is the most comprehensive and the best piece of anti-bullying legislation in the country,” Rep. John Scibak, D-South Hadley, said before the vote.

To WBUR after the legislation’s passage, Scibak added, “Getting this legislation enacted into law is going to be an important part of the healing process for my community.”

Gov. Deval Patrick has called the anti-bullying bill a priority.

State House News Service contributed reporting.

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South Hadley frustration

This bill is badly needed. Some parents defend their bully kids. Some principals or supts. don’t support teachers/staff. Some teachers/staff protect pet students/athletes.

Many in South Hadley are still demoralized b/c . . despite P’s suicide, the DA and intl press . . it seems that SHPS SUPT. GUS SAYER, the elected SCHOOL COMMITTEE & SC member ED BOISSELLE , and SHHS PRINCIPAL DAN SMITH aren’t transparent.

They reject dissenting voices too (via police at one SchComm. meeting).

A bullying policy apparently existed pre-Phoebe, but its ENFORCEMENT didn’t. (Why? Ask Sayer. Ask SchComm)

SHPS hired expensive$$ bullying consultant Barbara Coloroso, but apparently didn’t use her recommendatns (Why? Ask Sayer. Ask School Comm.)

Smith conducted a STILL-UNRELEASED (PUBLIC RECORD) SHHS INVESTIGATION that found SHHS did all it could disciplinary-wise, knew little about P’s bullies.

That inv. contradicted the DA’s. (Why? Ask Smith, Sayer, SchComm)

Early on, Sayer seemed to imply Phoebe was at fault. (Girls can be promiscuous, but not Sean Mulveyhill, who dated and then taunted her along with gf Kayla Narey and Ashley Longe, per DA record?)

Between Jan. and March (see Springfield Republican newspaper), Sayer and Smith gave changing contradicting explanations as facts came to light. (WHY? Who knows.)

The SchComm and Boisselle won’t address PARENTS’ concerns. New SchComm chair JoAnn Jordan referred Qs to Sayer at the SchComm meeting last night (Apr 28, 2010).
(What a circular dead-end crisis in the works)
(A School Comm. that’s unresponsive to PARENTS?)
(Why is the SchComm so deeply in Supt. Sayer’s pocket?)

http://www.wwlp.com/dpp/news/local/s-hadley-talks-anti-bullying-policy