New Bullying Law Requires More of Wilton Schools

At last week’s regularly scheduled Board of Education meeting, Assistant Superintendent of Schools Tim Canty presented to the board an overview of anti-bullying requirements that must be enacted in all public schools for the next school year.

Legislative changes involve a redefinition of bullying, staff training in anti-bullying measures, the appointment of a “safe school climate" (SSC) specialist and coordinator, and the establishment or designation of an existing committee to deal with bullying issues, according to a report issued to the Board of Ed authored by Superintendent Gary Richards and presented by Canty. 

“It’s a comprehensive and sweeping set of policy changes that you need to review,” said Canty, addressing the board. Many of these requirements will not officially take place until July 1, 2012; at that time, schools are expected to have all the new requirements met. 

Extended Reach

Schools are now responsible to prohibit bullying outside of school. Specifically, the school must intervene if bullying happens:

1. At a school-sponsored or school-related activity either on or off school grounds; 

2. At a school bus stop; 

3. On a school bus or any other vehicle the school board owns, leases, or uses; or

4. Through an electronic device the school board owns, leases, or uses,” according to the Connecticut General Assembly’s (CGA) website.

Additionally, the law requires schools to rectify bullying behavior even if it occurs outside of those locations if it “creates a hostile environment for a student at school” and if it “infringes on a student’s rights at school,” or if the bullying “substantially disrupts the education process or the school’s orderly operation.” Current law allows Connecticut schools to pursue educationally-disruptive bullying activity outside of school, but does not require it; school involvement.

Also removed from the previous bullying legislation were the words, “during a school year,” suggesting that summertime bullying would not be off-limits for inquiry by the school under the new law.

The new definition of bullying had some board members concerned as to how much more time and effort would be required of existing personnel. Others were skeptical on the funds needed for training and bullying case investigations.

“I can’t put a dollar amount on it yet,” said Canty. The CGA website indicates that it will fund at least some of the new requirements.

Additionally, the bill expands the definition of bullying to include cyberbullying, or bullying that occurs via electronic communications such as the internet and cell phones.

Safe School Climate Coordinators, Specialists, and Committees

According the report, the “specialist can be the principal or designee of the principal.” The specialist would be in charge of collecting and maintaining records of bullying, and “act as the primary school official responsible for preventing, identifying, and responding to reports of bullying in the school.”

It is not clear if a new hire would take over the role of SSC coordinator or specialist, of if the role would be designated to an existing employee. The school board will likely have to decide this before Jan. 1, 2012, the date the law requires a SSC plan to be submitted to the State Dept. of Education.

The anti-bullying committee requires there to be one parent or guardian of a student currently enrolled in the school on its panel.

Some new training will be required, as the new law “expands the scope of this training to include identifying and responding to bullying,” according to the CGA’s website.