On September 22, 2010, eighteen-year-old Rutgers student Tyler Clementi leapt to his death from the George Washington Bridge. The suicide, provoked by his roommate’s Internet streaming of an intimate encounter between Clementi and another man, breathed new life into an anti-bullying bill that had been languishing in the New Jersey legislature. That bill, the “Anti-Bullying Bill of Rights,” easily passed with bipartisan support after Clementi’s death, and now Governor Chris Christie has finally – although he waited until the last minute – signed it into law today. The signing was not announced by Christie (who had never even promised to sign the law), and it was not accompanied by any pomp or ceremony, but a signing is a signing. The “Anti-Bullying Bill of Rights” is now the law of New Jersey.
Now, over three months after a tragedy that shocked the nation, New Jersey officially has the toughest anti-bullying law in the entire country.
New Jersey has had anti-bullying legislation on the books since the tragedy at Columbine inspired a number of states, including New Jersey, to adopt anti-bullying policies. But it has always been fundamentally flawed. Because of loopholes in the law, anti-bullying programs at individual school districts – while encouraged – were not mandated. The “Anti-Bullying Bill of Rights” closed these loopholes, requiring every school district to have anti-bullying programs in place. In addition, it requires training on the district level for teachers, administrators, and staff that teaches them how to spot bullying. It also mandates that each school district form a “school safety team” to address bullying-related complaints. Under the new law, any administrator who does not take action following a complaint about bullying is subject to disciplinary action, and the actual bullies will be subject to suspension or expulsion. All bullying incidents, whether they occur in or out of school, must be reported by any school employees who spot them. The legislation requires that the state grade each school district based on their efforts to fight bullying. It also mandates that public colleges address bullying in their codes of conduct.
All in all, it’s a pretty solid piece of legislation that makes a real effort to put a dent in the bullying problem that plagues our schools. It won’t put an end to bullying, of course. As state senator Diane Allen put it, “While we cannot change human nature, we can change how government and school officials respond to unacceptable behavior.” The legislation will go a long way toward equipping school districts to identify and properly deal with bullying. Importantly, it will also address the teacher/administrator negligence that is way too common.
Read the full text of the bill here.
As somebody who dealt with a great deal of bullying as a kid, I’m happy that combating bullying was a bipartisan priority of the New Jersey legislature. Hopefully other states will follow suit in the future. It doesn’t necessarily make the bullies disappear, but it sends a message that these kids shouldn’t have to live in misery and fear without having any authority figure to turn to.
So kudos to New Jersey, the new leader in anti-bullying policy. Hopefully this legislation will be able to help prevent more deaths like Tyler Clementi's from happening. If it does, maybe that unspeakable tragedy will have some meaning.