From AP RALEIGH, N.C. – A bill requiring school districts in North Carolina to approve more detailed anti-bullying policies is headed to the House floor.
A House judiciary committee Tuesday approved the Senate measure on a party-line vote of 9-5, with Democrats in the majority.
Districts would have to create updated policies that at a minimum list the perceived characteristics of a person likely to be bullied.
Linda Griffin of Zebulon attended the meeting and said she took her autistic son out of the public schools because his teacher blamed him, in part, for being bullied. Griffin said the bill would protect more children.
Social conservatives and Christian leaders oppose the bill, in part, because sexual orientation and gender identity are among the characteristics required to be in the policies.
June 19th, 2009 at 5:04 pm
What we really don’t need is another NC law to tempt more lawsuits over totally innocuous childhood behavior. Each and every school district in NC already has a no bullying policy in their handbooks. This is something that should be handled at the school level, since they hand out appropriate punishments (a court of law is not the proper place). Also parents become unreasonably incensed if someone even accidently bumps THEIR child, or makes an eyeroll, and off we go charging students in schools with bullying, instead of just acting like – well kids. This law will only contribute to more children being charged with crimes, and that school record will follow them when they are 40. Would this law only apply to state schools or would it include homeschools, private schools. What would be the parameters?