Colorado's Anti-Bullying Bill Up For Hearing This Week

The Colorado House of Representatives is scheduled to review a bill this week that would amend the state's anti-bullying laws to require dress codes that "encourage school pride and unity," and mandate that teachers receive regular lessons in how to deal with bullying. The legislation would also create a cash fund aimed at the problem of bullying and suicides in schools.

House Bill 1254, co-sponsored by Republican Kevin Priola and Democrat Sue Schafer, would also establish new reporting requirements for notifying authorities about bullying incidents, prevent the punishment of students for reporting bullies, and allow schools to share behavior records.

The bill comes in the wake of increased national attention to school bullying after several high-profile teen suicides.

Priola and Schafer stress that the efforts will not cost the state any money, as it will be financed by cash fund filled by "gifts, grants, and donations."

A 2008 survey (PDF) by the Colorado Trust showed that 60% of parents in the state list bullying as the single most important problem facing their kids' schools.

WATCH CBS4 DENVER'S REPORT:

READ THE BILL:

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Comments

[BenLeichtling]

05:09 PM on 03/09/2011

This is nice but falls far short of what’s needed to protect children and prevent more suicides. Its focus is grants and education of teachers.

There’s absolutely nothing in it about requiring teachers, counselors, principals and school district administrators to stop bullying. There are no penalties if they don’t protect our children.

Can you imagine how effective laws against robbery and murder would be if they didn’t have penalties?

As I’ve written about many times on my blog at BulliesBeGoneBlog, we need laws that criminalize the behavior of principals, counselors, teachers and school district administrators who put our children at risk by not stopping bullies. And then we need people with courage who are willing to act.

[k1dork]

10:20 PM on 04/25/2011

Bullying is going to occur, period. These are kids we're talking about. School officials aren't typically turning a blind eye to bullying. When they hear of it they try to stop it.

[Targetdog]

10:40 PM on 04/25/2011

No, that's where you are wrong. Shool officials often fail to act until they are threatened with a lawsuit.

[Tom Langley]

07:13 PM on 03/07/2011

I guess if we're gonna slash the funds to edumacate them - we better prevent the bored kids, in too big classes, from beating the tar out of one-antother while the overworked, underpaid, and non-collective bargaining teacher tries to maintain control over the class of 60 or 70 kids. That way we can be sure to fund interstate hiway improvements so the bully's parents can get to and from the ski area's faster on weekends to enrich Vail Associates. Who, by the by, get their mountains of real estate from the taxpayers for next to nothing lease fees, but can't afford to build their own roads apparently. Almost nothing makes sense in any context any more if you can afford to be intellectually honest with yourself. Free markets are't free, corporations have the rights of people, but none of the reponsibilities, the poor people are sticking up for the guys who are bleeding them for money and pumping it to the top of the food chain as fast as they can. The whole US thing has just gone absolutely full on nutso-ducksoup.