House lawmakers have unanimously approved a bill designed to clamp down on school bullies. The Massachusetts bill would ban bullying, require school districts to come up with bullying prevention plans and expand the definition of bullying to include the growing problem of internet cyber bullying through the use of e-mails or text messages.
The legislation would also require school officials to inform parents of their anti-bullying curriculum and alert both the parents of bullies and their parents of their victims after a bullying incident. On March 18, 2010, lawmakers approved the bill on a 148-0 vote after debating the measure for more than three hours.
The push for anti-bullying legislation has gained momentum following the recent suicides of students in South Hadley and Springfield. The explosion of social networking sites, like Twitter and Facebook, means bullying can continue long after the school day is over, and bullies can entice others to gang up on their victims. The bill also requires principals to report all incidents to police.
Bullying is defined as "the severe or repeated use by one or more students of a written, verbal, or electronic expression, or a physical act or gesture, or any combination thereof, directed at another student that has the effect of: (i) causing physical or emotional harm to the other student or damage to the other student's property; (ii) placing the other student in reasonable fear of harm to himself or of damage to his property; (iii) creating a hostile environment at school for the other student; (iv) infringing on the rights of the other student at school; or (v) materially and substantially disrupting the education process or the orderly operation of a school."
With the new law, Massachusetts became the 42nd state to prohibit electronic bullying.
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