LEGISLATURE
State may pass anti-bullying law
Supporters of a bill that would force all Florida school districts to adopt policies prohibiting bullying and harassment are hopeful that it will finally become law this year.
Posted on Mon, Apr. 28, 2008
BY HANNAH SAMPSON
Jeff Johnston would have been graduating from high school this year, making plans for college and contemplating a future full of possibilities.
'People said, `That little boy, he could change the world,' '' said his mother, Debbie Johnston.
Her son with the ''old soul,'' big, brown eyes and serious chess skills died in 2005. The Cape Coral teen committed suicide at the age of 15 after being bullied.
So instead of watching her second-youngest child receive his diploma, Johnston hopes 2008 is the year the anti-bullying bill that bears her son's name -- the Jeffrey Johnston Stand Up for All Students Act -- will finally be passed into law.
Johnston will be in Tallahassee Monday with as many supporters as she can rally to see it through to a full vote in the Senate.
The bill has survived more hurdles this legislative session than the past two years, making it out of the Senate committee where it died last year. The bill passed unanimously in the House.
''It's a long time coming,'' said Rep. Ellyn Bogdanoff, R-Fort Lauderdale, one of the bill's House sponsors. ``It's time to put some framework in place and to move on and start to address the issue more aggressively.''
Bills that addressed bullying in previous years also died, with many lawmakers saying they were not needed. Recently, such bills have received more support.
Although many school districts in Florida, including Miami-Dade and Broward, have anti-bullying policies, the law would require each of the state's 67 districts to adopt a policy that complies with the new requirements by Dec. 1.
Officials for both Broward and Miami-Dade counties believe they would have no trouble conforming to the law if it passes. Board members in Miami-Dade approved a policy two years ago, and a new policy in Broward that was created around the proposed law will go to board members for discussion next month.
EVERY CHILD
The law would not spell out which categories of students need protection, a fact that spurred debate in the House, but instead says that bullying or harassment of any student or school system employee for any reason is prohibited. Districts would be allowed to identify categories of students if they choose.
''When you start just putting categories in place, you'll never have enough categories to cover every child, so why don't we say that no child should be bullied,'' said Sen. Carey Baker, R-Eustis, who sponsored the bill. ``The fact is all children will be protected.''
The latest effort to pass a law comes after the videotaped beating of a girl in Lakeland by several other teenage girls sparked national outrage, and stories of youths who committed suicide after enduring harassment continue to mount.
Those real-life instances have made it into television drama, with an episode of the CBS show Without a Trace featuring a story about a 12-year-old who is bullied and attempts suicide. After the show aired, hundreds of educators asked for a copy to show in schools.
Julie Sikorski, peer counseling teacher at Tequesta Trace Middle School in Weston, has shown the video to students at her school for a few years. This year's viewing took place recently, leaving few dry eyes.
''It was something we could connect to because we could put someone in our class in the situation,'' said eighth-grader Sydney Carmel, 14.
Sikorski said that after she showed the video another year, a girl came to her office in tears and said: ``That's me. I'm the bully.''
Miami mother Jacqueline Borgella said she is considering moving herself and her two kids back to Florida City after her daughter became the target of bullies at Jose de Diego Middle. The situation escalated to an incident where a portion of her daughter's hair was ripped from her head. When the 13-year-old girl defended herself and fought back, Borgella said, she was suspended.
Now, Borgella said, her once-outgoing daughter who was on the step dancing and track teams doesn't even want to leave the house. She said that the instigator of the bullying was expelled, but that the girl's friends continue to pick on her daughter.
''I never knew how serious bullying was -- and it's serious,'' she said.
Miami-Dade school district spokesman John Schuster would not comment on specifics about the incident with Borgella's daughter, except to say that the school concluded it was ''not a situation of bullying'' but rather a case of fighting.
There aren't yet any solid statistics on bullying in Florida. The state Department of Education started collecting reports of bullying and harassment with the 2006-07 school year, but due to reporting difficulties the data is considered unreliable. Many districts reported no incidents at all; the Education Department's staff is working with districts to get more accurate numbers.
`A NO-BRAINER'
In a 2005 national survey of students ages 12 to 18, about 28 percent reported having been bullied at school during the prior six months.
The proposed law mandates that each district's policy have in place a procedure for reporting incidents of bullying or harassment and the consequences.
The Department of Education would develop a model policy by Oct. 1 so districts could use it as a blueprint if they needed to. The law has teeth: Money for ''safe schools'' programs -- nearly $77 million statewide, and $18.5 million combined in Dade and Broward -- would only be released to districts once their policies on bullying and harassment are approved by the state.
''This is a no-brainer,'' said David Tirella, a Tampa lawyer who represented a Bay-area bullying victim in a successful lawsuit against a private school, and has been advocating for the bill's passage. ``It should be passed.''
In Miami-Dade, a bullying and violence prevention policy went into effect in 2006 that requires a comprehensive curriculum for all grades, widespread training for administrators and counselors, and reculturing school environments to make them safe and secure. Parts of the plan are still being implemented as the curriculum is finalized.
The number of bullying reports the district collected under its own system rose from 3,400 in 2006 to 3,700 last year, but those numbers are not believed to represent all cases, said Barbara Mallard, who oversees guidance and counseling programs for the Miami-Dade school district.
''We think that's just the tip of the iceberg,'' she said.
Mallard said she believes the district's policy will comply with the state law if it passes.
In Broward, an anti-bullying task force was formed earlier this year. School Board members in May will discuss a new, bulked-up policy that focuses on training, early intervention and on tracking and investigating incidents.
''We're really trying to go above and beyond what the bill wants,'' said Aimee Wood, the district's anti-bullying specialist.
``Our priority is that students feel safe and protected.''
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