Colorado Set to Pass School Bullying Law
Originally published at ABCNEWS.com, March 19, 2001
Colorado is set to require all school districts in the state to create anti-bullying policies, as many states and school districts look for ways to handle a problem which has been cited as a factor in recent episodes of school violence.
Colorado is about to take new steps to fight bullying in its schools. State legislators are soon expected to pass a bill requiring school districts to create a clear policy and discipline code on bullying.
State Rep. Don Lee, whose district includes the town of Littleton, where in 1999 two students went on a deadly rampage at Columbine High School, sponsored the bill.
It defines bullying as "fear of injury or violence upon one or more students."
The measure was introduced in January, before the recent school shooting at Santana High School in Santee, Calif., which left two students dead and 13 other people wounded.
The push comes as many states and school districts around the country reconsider the problem of bullying. Recently, it was reported that Santana High had been battling a problem with bullying problem since early as 1997.
Officials had applied for and received a federal grant of $123,000 to address bullying, threats, and intimidation at the suburban school, which serves an affluent community outside San Diego.
The documents show four years before the shootings, 50 percent of Santana's students said they did not feel safe while on campus, 35 percent had been a victim of verbal abuse, and 12 percent had been physically threatened. Accused shooter Andy Williams was described as a regular target of school bullies.
North of Santee, a New, Stricter Bullying Policy
Two hours north of Santee, Orange County school officials recently adopted what some local officials are calling a "first in the nation" policy aimed at preventing bullying.
The Newport-Mesa school district's new policy, passed last Tuesday, goes a step further than most anti-bullying measures, by ordering counseling, suspension, or even expulsion for behavior such as abusive gestures, comments, and threats, as well as acts of violence.
Some critics, such as school board member Wendy Leece, worry that the punishment could go to far challenging the freedom of speech.
"To say a comment, a gesture, or an action may cause a kid to be removed from his surroundings may be a problem for him," says Leece.
But the measure, which passed six to one, has found broad support among parents and educators, as well as students.
"I hope that this is a step in the right direction to stop bullying," says Evan Hirsch a 9th-grader in the school district who also serves as a student mediator.
"I know that it won't altogether stop, but hopefully it will give people a breath who are being picked on."
