House passes anti-bullying legislation

By Owen Boss

Staff Writer

BOSTON - In the wake of several recent high-profile bullying cases, House lawmakers Thursday evening unanimously passed legislation targeting school bullying that will require school administrators to report bullies to the police.

The state Senate passed similar legislation last week.

In addition to the mandated reporting of all bullying incidents that could result in criminal charges, the House bill requires all school districts - public, charter, and private schools - to develop a bullying prevention and intervention plan. The bill also aims to clamp down on so-called cyberbullying by prohibiting the use of emails, text messages, Internet posts and other electronic means to create a hostile school environment.

The legislation would also require school officials to inform parents of their anti-bullying curriculum and alert both the parents of bullies and the parents of their victims after a reported bullying incident.

Lawmakers approved the bill on a 148-0 vote after debating the measure for more than three hours.

The bill, titled an Act Relative to Bullying in Schools, was filed in the wake of the Jan. 14 death of Phoebe Prince, a freshman at South Hadley High School who moved to the town from Ireland in the fall.

Prince hanged herself after enduring taunts about her accent and her brief relationship with a senior on the football team. A number of students have left the school following her death, but school officials would not specify whether they had left of their own volition or if they had been expelled. No criminal charges have been filed.

The bill was also prompted by a similar case in early 2009, when sixth-grader Carl Joseph Walker-Hoover, 12, of Springfield, hanged himself with an extension cord after he was subjected to repeated bullying at school.

Those critical of changes to the bill made by the House Ways and Means Committee last week would be pleased to learn that all sections removed by the committee were reinserted before the bill's passage, said Rep. John W. Scibak, D-South Hadley.

"This bill is a lot stronger than what was reported in the media (Thursday) morning," Scibak said. "The section on mandated reporting of bullying incidents, which we put back in, is absolutely essential and really is the guts of this bill."

Scibak, who has strongly advocated for the bill following Prince's suicide, said he thinks the bill is a step in the right direction for the town and its school system.

"I think the town of South Hadley has begun to turn the page," Scibak said. "The town's anti-bullying task force has been meeting for several weeks now and I think there is a true sense in the community of dealing with this issue proactively. What this bill is going to do is assist other communities in doing the same."

An important aspect of the legislation, Scibak said, is providing schools with all the resources necessary to address the issue of bullying with the state's younger schoolchildren.

"Bullying isn't something that happens overnight, and if we start dealing with younger students and teach them to be considerate in how they treat other people, hopefully we can prevent similar episodes down the line," Scibak said.

Also pleased with the bill's passage was South Hadley Police Chief David LaBrie, who said the required reporting section will go a long way to preventing incidents such as January's tragedy.

"This bill's language provides us with the ability to more comprehensively coordinate information in the community on an individual under investigation," LaBrie said. "Because the school environment is only one component of our community where accused individuals conduct themselves, the capacity for local law enforcement to participate in bullying cases and provide all pertinent information will allow for far more effective investigations."

There have been several attempts to pass anti-bullying laws in Massachusetts before, most recently in 2008.

Although there is no immediate time line for when a final version of the bill will arrive on the desk of Gov. Deval Patrick, Scibak said the House version will likely be reconciled with the Senate's.

"I'm hoping that because the differences between the two are relatively minor that it will be reconciled quickly," Scibak said. "It is just a matter of how quickly the Conference Committee can get together to work this out. My hope is that it will be done in the next two weeks."

Owen Boss can be reached at oboss@gazettent.com.