NJ School Officials Violated Laws By Failing To Stop Bullying For 6 Years

New Jersey's attorney general said Tuesday that school officials in Emerson, N.J., failed to stop the bullying of one of its student -- which included threats and assaults -- for six years, according to the Boston Herald.

Attorney General Paula T. Dow announced that the New Jersey Division on Civil Rights found that there is probable cause that the district's board of education ignored the harassment, violating the state's anti-discrimination laws.

According to The Herald, Dow said:

"Our investigation suggests that this young man was the target of consistent harassment for a period of years and that despite the existence of a written 'zero tolerance' policy regarding such conduct, his fellow students routinely subjected him to the kind of torment no one should have to endure."

The student, identified in documents as J.C. Jr., was allegedly assaulted on numerous occasions by classmates at school functions, mocked on MySpace and threatened to have his throat slit by a male classmate.

The announcement came just a day after state legislators passed one of the nation's toughest anti-bullying bills. The bill still awaits Governor Chris Christie's signature.

The Tyler Clementi Higher Education Anti-Harassment Act, named after the Rutgers student who committed suicide in September as a result of harassment, will require officials to intervene if a student is harassed based on sexual orientation, race, gender or other factors.