>School Districts Oppose Anti-Bullying Law as an Unfunded Mandate
Rutgers’ coalition of concerned students joins with state to oppose challenge
By John Mooney, January 12, 2012 in Education
A small Warren County school district’s legal challenge to the state’s controversial anti-bullying law – or at least the cost of it – has drawn supporters and opponents to its argument, including a notable group of Rutgers students who take a “special interest” in the case.
Allamuchy’s challenge before the state’s Council on Local Mandates argues that the anti-bullying law enacted last year has amounted to an unfunded and therefore unconstitutional mandate, given all its requirements for training staff and investigating and addressing complaints.
The little-known council, established in 1996 to hear local complaints about unfunded mandates, is to hear arguments on January 27 in Trenton. Its decision is binding, with no avenue for appeal.
As expected, a few other school districts — including Ridgewood — have joined the case in making the arguments that the law has become an administrative burden.
