Governor Mark Dayton signed a new anti-bullying measure into law on Wednesday in hopes of better protecting Minnesota students who are exposed to abusive behaviors at school.
The Safe and Supportive Schools Act will require schools to:
- Track and investigate cases of bullying; and
- Offer staff training on bullying-prevention techniques.
In addition to strengthening prevention and awareness techniques, the bill also clearly defines bullying as any action that causes physical harm, the fear of physical harm, or “constitutes intentional infliction of emotional distress.”
The previous law only stated that school districts needed to have some sort of anti-bullying procedure in place. Governor Dayton believes the new bill will help keep students safer.
“Minnesota’s schools should be safe and supportive places for everyone,” said Dayton. “This anti-bullying legislation will make it very clear that bullying is not to be allowed in our schools.
Not All in Favor
While most want to find a solution to the bullying problem that appears to be more prevalent in today’s digital age, some legislators believe this bill isn’t the answer. The bill made it through both the House and the Senate by a narrow margin, passing by votes of 69-63 and 36-31 respectively, and some legislators vocalized their concerns, calling the bill too costly, restrictive to free speech, and a move “more about a social agenda than preventing bullying,” said Rep. Mike Benson, R-Rochester.
A portion of the bill that caused major contention was a clause that specifically protected students from being teased about their gender identity or sexual orientation. Some opponents felt that it created a special protection for some, while others felt like it could force districts to teach students about sexual identity at too young an age.
Avery Appelman comments
The biggest issue with bullying these days is that, because of the rise of the Internet, it now becomes a 24/7 “game” for some of the bullies. Back in the day, you only had to worry about a bully in the hallway or in 5th period; Nowadays, a bully or a group of teens can harass someone all hours of the day through social media outlets like Facebook, Twitter, Ask.FM, etc.
I think it would be very helpful to teach children about the dangers and problems of electronic communication at a young age, and reinforce those issues throughout their primary education. We need to teach children that there is always an electronic trial, be it a snide comment telling a student to hurt himself or a risqué photo sent through text.
We’ll never eradicate bullying, but I think attacking the problem at the source – the kids – is a better place to start.
Related source: Star-Tribune, Bring Me The News
