FEBRUARY 8, 2016, 10:01 PM LAST UPDATED: TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 2016, 6:33 AM
BY HANNAN ADELY
STAFF WRITER |
THE RECORD
When a junior at Fair Lawn High School with pro-Palestinian views was accused of bullying after celebrating that a pro-Israeli classmate had stopped following her on Twitter, many believed she was being silenced because of her opinions. Why else, they wondered, would the school want to investigate her?
While it may have been baffling to outsiders, the bullying probe was hardly a surprise in New Jersey, where insults and conflicts, even isolated ones, often result in formal inquiries. That’s because New Jersey’s anti-bullying law put tough requirements on schools to take swift action to report on accusations of bullying, intimidation and harassment.
When the law was signed in 2011 after the suicide of Rutgers University student Tyler Clementi, it was considered a landmark piece of legislation to protect students from harm and a model for the country. By nearly all accounts, the law has made schools safer. But critics say that it goes too far, pushing schools to investigate all or most allegations and sometimes hurting the very students it was designed to help.
A state anti-bullying task force has recommended changes to the state code that would give principals discretion in handling cases. It also said that there should be an investigation whenever a case involves a power imbalance, such as when one student is perceived to be weaker or less popular. The state has not taken action on those recommendations, although the state education commissioner is expected to discuss the task force’s findings at a Board of Education meeting Wednesday.
https://www.northjersey.com/news/n-j-anti-bullying-law-draws-fresh-scrutiny-1.1508225
