No bullies allowed [Pennsylvania State Initiative] - The Diigo Meta page

• 10 Sep 08
  

  Anne Bubnic

  A bill passed earlier this year makes it mandatory for Pennsylvania school districts to have a written anti-bullying policy in place beginning next year.

  ad4dcss legal cyberbullying state initiative

  • A school must have a written bullying policy that includes consequences for violations, identify school personnel to notify with complaints and the policy must be posted in every classroom and be reviewed by students, according to a press release issued by Williams' office.
  • And while school violence had declined 4 percent during the past several years, bullying in schools has risen 5 percent, according to the U.S. Department of Education.
  • The new legislation applies to any threats or intimidation in a school setting, including on school grounds, on a school bus or at any school-sponsored event. Also, the measure covers threats sent via e-mail or over the Internet, called cyber bullying.
    According to the state Department of Education, every school day 160,000 students miss school because they are afraid of being bullied.
  • The anti-bully measure was included in a larger School Code bill in 2008. Greenleaf said he proposed the measure back in 2002, but met with resistance from school districts who worried about the cost of implementing such a program.

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