New York Needs Anti-Bullying Legislation

January 19, 2007

This week the nation was horrified watching a video of a 13-year-old girl being attacked by a group of older females in front of a neighborhood elementary school in Suffolk County on Long Island. As a result, three female high school students were ultimately arrested as well as suspended from school. But the damage done to this young victim is irreparable and unconscionable.

Bullying is defined as intentional, hurtful acts, words, or other behaviors, such as name-calling, threatening or shunning, committed by one or more adolescents against another. For such acts to be defined as bullying, an imbalance in real or perceived power must exist between the bully and the victim.

The statistics are alarming. Approximately 8 percent of all students report being bullied during the last six months. The vast majority first experience bullying between the ages of 13 and 15. Now coupled with technology, the torment of being bullied can be broadcast via the Internet increasing the psychological damage done to the teenager.

As a member of the Assembly Children and Families Committee, I believe we can help prevent bullying through legislation. This will only be successful if it is coupled with greater school administrator and parental involvement.

Our children deserve safe learning environments free from violence and humiliation. This is why I will support and sponsor legislation that will strengthen state laws against bullying, and the harassment of students, teachers and other school administrators. During this year’s legislative session, I will support measures to increase penalties for teenagers who bully others, repercussions for school officials who fail to report acts of violence or humiliation toward students, and requirements for instruction to discourage bullying in schools. My intention is to also co-sponsor Assemblyman Fred Thiele’s legislation that would establish a statewide central registry for bullying and hazing complaints which is essential as “cyber-bullying” has become more and more common.

Every parent wants to keep their children safe from harm. As a father and a lawmaker, I will do everything I can to enact legislation that will give parents and school officials the tools they need to protect teenagers from bullying.

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