Anti-Bullying Bill Draws Broad Support

A broad coalition of parents, students, educators, law enforcement officers and civil rights organizations, including the Anti-Defamation League New England, are throwing their support behind House Bill 483, a comprehensive piece of state legislation designed to address bullying in the public schools.

Sponsored by Rep. John Rogers and endorsed by Rep. Lori Ehrlich and Senator Tom McGee among others, Bill 483 is one of nearly a dozen bills currently under consideration that would require public schools in Massachusetts to proactively address and be more accountable to the age-old issue of bullying, and the relatively new issue of cyber-bullying.

At present, 37 states and the District of Columbia have anti-bullying statutes. While some individual schools and districts in the Commonwealth have anti-bullying policies in place, the quality and enforcement of them vary. Supporters believe the time is finally ripe for a statewide measure.

“Massachusetts has come late to this party, and it’s time for us to catch up. One advantage to our lateness is that we can use due diligence to push through a very comprehensive bill,” said Derrek Shulman, ADL New England regional director.

According to ADL Eastern States Civil Rights Counsel Robert Trestan, who has been working on this issue for 18 months, House Bill 483 is based on a national ADL model that is on the books in several states including Florida, North Carolina and Maryland.

The measure, which defines bullying as “unwelcome written, electronic, verbal or physical acts or gestures where a student feels coerced, intimidated, harassed or threatened,” would require school boards to adopt anti-harassment and bullying policies, and document all incidents of harassment and resulting discipline to state education regulators.

Furthermore, it would mandate the state Departments of Elementary and Secondary Education to develop training materials, review school districts for compliance, and submit annual reports to the State Legislature.
On Nov. 17, more than 300 citizens packed a public hearing on the issue at the State House. Members of the Joint Committee on Education, who would be responsible for bringing a bill to the table, listened to impassioned testimony from a wide variety of constituents.

“We heard from a Springfield mother whose 11-year-old son was so relentlessly bullied by his peers that he took his own life. Another mother from the Cape sobbed as she described the cyber bullying her autistic son faced after a video of him at a school dance was posted on YouTube,” Ehrlich said. 

A Swampscott 10th grader described how a schoolmate tormented her about her physical appearance, and then progressed to making anti-Semitic and sexist remarks about her. The harassment became so pronounced that she was forced to leave her public school for a more tolerant private school. A New Hampshire teen that wrote a book on bullying spoke about her ordeal, as did a criminologist who testified that bullying can have tragic and violent consequences.

The only major opposition to Bill 483 seems to be coming from some school superintendents who are concerned about the administrative burden of implementing the measure.

“I’ve worked around the State House for years, and it’s rare to see a bill that unites such a broad cross section of supporters,” Shulman remarked.

“Our mission is to secure justice and fair treatment for everyone, and everyone can be vulnerable to bullying. This bill crosses all racial, religious, economic and gender lines,” said Trestan, who believes that unlike previous anti-bullying measures, Bill 483 has the momentum to pass.

“We’ve taken the lead to assemble a coalition across the Commonwealth to educate and pressure legislators to deal with this issue and make it a priority,” Trestan said.

Ehrlich, who has twice co-sponsored anti-bullying measures, affirmed, “I am in for the long haul, and I won’t rest until it’s passed.”

She believes it is a very serious issue. “Children who are bullied are more likely to experience depression, loneliness, anxiety, low self-esteem and thoughts of suicide. They can suffer anguish and irreparable harm. Powerlessness and the fear of retribution often prevent young victims from coming forward, and schools often don’t have the tools to deal with such issues when they are made aware. This bill gives schools the tools they need to effectively deal with discrimination, harassment, intimidation and cyber bullying of students in school,” Ehrlich said.

As a Jew, Ehrlich says the issue has special resonance. “Growing up, we are taught about hatred through lessons of the Holocaust. We also learn that merely standing by or playing it safe as others perpetuate acts of hatred makes us guilty, too. Bullying impacts entire schools and communities. This legislation is an opportunity for educators, law enforcement, community leaders, and students alike to explore the topic of respect in an active way,” she said. 

The next step is for the Joint Committee on Education to review all the bills presented, evaluate the testimony they heard, and craft a measure to be sent to the full Legislature. If both the House and Senate pass the measure, the governor can sign it into law. Shulman hopes this will occur in early 2010.

For more specifics on Bill 483, visit http://www.mass.gov/legis/bills/house/186/ht00pdf/ht00483.pdf.