N.J.'s largest newspaper strongly endorses the Anti-Bullying Bill of Rights

[JackBeck]

Currently, we have 43 sponsors in the Assembly (we need 41 votes to pass) and 16 sponsors in the Senate. This bill has strong bi-partisan support, so Christie would be a fool to veto it, given we will more than likely have the votes to overturn his veto. And for the Blue Dogs and fiscally conservative Republicans, it contains no unfunded mandates.

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Stop the bullying, for students' sake

Star-Ledger Editorial Board

Still reeling from gay student Tyler Clementi’s fatal plunge off the George Washington Bridge, New Jersey legislators this week proposed the toughest law against bullying in the nation. The Anti-Bullying Bill of Rights is society’s strongest message yet that schools are expected to pay close attention to the social relationships of students, an idea that took hold after the 1999 Columbine shootings.

The “Lord of the Flies” model is out. Enough child suicides have shown that students cannot be left to their own cruel devices. Without monitoring or consequences attached, school bullying policies often went unenforced. This new bill goes much further, pledging to discipline teachers and administrators if they indulge or ignore student bullies.

Holding adults responsible is key. This bill requires nearly all school employees to be trained in how to identify and report bullying, both on or off-campus. Schools must appoint a staff specialist to oversee the issue, and all bullying incidents must be detailed twice a year at a public school board meeting. Schools and districts will be graded on how well they respond to the reported harassment.

Whether it’s during class, on a school bus or online, intimidation should be no reason to skip school.

http://blog.nj.com/njv_editorial_page/2010/10/stop_the_bullying_for_students.html

[HockeyMom]

1. My daughter never came out in HS

but she had many friends who did and they suffered for it. Actually, just defending them, she did too. It reached the point where we had to even go to the police for a restraing order against one kid. My daughter agreed to testify against him for threatening one of her gay friends with a gun.

Something absolutely HAS to be done to stop all of this.

[JackBeck]

3. That's horrific.

If you lived in NJ you could testify in Trenton in a couple of months with such a compelling story. But you may still have a chance when federal legislation gets introduced. There's momentum building for national anti-bullying laws. Your story needs to be heard.

[LiberalEsto]

2. That's great news

I worked as a reporter at the Star-Ledger in the 1980s. They've always been somewhat liberal.