Cyber Bullying Law Enacted

Cyber Bullying Law Enacted

Gov. Jon S. Corzine signed legislation (S-993) on Aug. 6 that expands New Jersey’s anti-bullying laws to include threats made by e-mail, text messages or instant messaging.

A 2002 statute already requires all school boards to adopt policies prohibiting harassment, intimidation and bullying on school property, at school-sponsored functions or on a school bus. However, S-993 adds electronic communications to the forums where “harassment, intimidation or bullying” are prohibited and, therefore, covers bullying by telephone, cell phone, pager or computer.

NJSBA supports the measure, based on its policy, which states that students have the right to be educated in an environment free of discrimination and intimidation. Recent highly publicized cases, including a video posted online of three teenagers assaulting another student in North Babylon, NY, prompted the New Jersey legislation.

Under the new law, any school that does not proactively amend its anti-bullying policies to reflect the changes within 90 days of the bill’s enactment will automatically have its district policy deemed as addressing electronic, or cyber bullying.

Other bills signed into law on August 6, 2007 include:

Sudden Cardiac Death: The Governor signed S-332, requiring the Department of Education to work with the Commissioner of Health and Senior Services and the American Heart Association to develop a pamphlet informing parents of student athletes about sudden cardiac death. Schools will be required to distribute the pamphlet to parents starting in the 2007-2008 school year.

The legislation was proposed after several high profile cases of sudden cardiac death received media attention. NJSBA, which supported the measure, secured an amendment eliminating a provision that would have required schools to mail pamphlets to the parents of student athletes. The change represents a cost saving to districts.

Human Papillomavirus: School districts will also be required to distribute a fact sheet to 7th through 12th graders containing information about the human papillomavirus. HPV is the most common sexually transmitted infection in the United States and has been detected in over 90 percent of cervical cancer cases.

NJSBA supported the bill, S-2286, which requires state health and education officials to develop the fact sheet. The Department of Education will disseminate the fact sheet to districts this coming school year, and districts will be responsible for distributing the information starting in 2008-2009.

Child Abuse Task Force: The Governor signed S-1217, which expands the responsibilities of the 24-member New Jersey Task Force on Child Abuse and Neglect. NJSBA supported this legislation, which charges the existing task force, created in 1983, to develop a statewide plan to address child abuse prevention. Specifically, the law requires the task force to educate the public about child abuse and neglect, facilitate a statewide prevention plan, and foster cooperative working relationships between state and local agencies.