Raleigh NC| State Passes Anti-Bullying Legislation

State Passes Anti-Bullying Legislation & Students Speak Up

After a long battle, advocates for anti-bullying legislation saw victory recently when the bill narrowly passed through the N.C. House by a vote of 58-57.  The bill, which now awaits the expected signature of Governor Bev Perdue, aims to protect students in public school who are harassed for reasons related to race, religion, disabilities and perceived sexual orientation.   According to the News & Observer, the anti-bullying bill has taken years to catch on with lawmakers, seemingly due to its inclusion of sexual orientation.

Despite the fact that various administrations have pointed out that all state districts are already required to have anti-bullying policies in place, supporters of the bill claim they are frequently ignored and rarely implemented.   The differences in perspectives proved to be even more dramatic when local students were asked about their reaction to the possibility of the new laws.  Many agreed that the legislation was necessary and cited specific examples of instances where they had personally witnessed the emotional or physical harassment of a fellow student.  In many cases, the culprits were said to be athletes and the incident occurred in front of an authority figure, such as a teacher, without ramifications.

Supporters of the bill are hopeful that its passage will encourage victims of bullying to report incidents as well as contribute to preventing school violence, an issue that has become a main focus for education systems across the nation.  If signed into law, the bill will make consequences for bullies more severe and create a better system of checks to make sure schools are following through on their anti-bullying policies.