W.Va. Lawmakers Target School Bullying

Feb. 26, 2011

CHARLESTON (AP) — West Virginia schools could adopt a tougher stance on student bullying that covers off-campus incidents under legislation endorsed Friday by the House Judiciary Committee.

The measure would extend anti-bullying policies to school buses and stops. It would also expand those policies to cover any text messages, online postings or other electronic communications meant to harass, intimidate or bully.

Language added by the committee targets insulting or demeaning behavior that disrupts school as well as severe or recurring physical or emotional harm that interferes with a student’s education. Such behavior or harm could occur off school property to trigger the disciplinary steps in anti-bullying policies.

Delegate Kelly Sobonya, R-Cabell, sought without success to remove those new provisions. She and several other GOP committee members called them an overreach.

“There is a fine line between a parent’s jurisdiction and a school’s jurisdiction,” Sobonya said. “We have to preserve the parent’s jurisdiction... A school’s jurisdiction should not be anywhere, anytime.”

But Delegate Measha Poore, D-Kanawha, said the lack of parental involvement in public schools requires such measures, to allow educators to do their jobs in the classroom.

“It’s wonderful for those who have parents who step in at the right time and say, ‘You will not do this,’” Poore said. “But our children are not monitored like they should be.”

The provisions also do not hinder parental involvement, Poore said. Delegate Patrick Lane disagreed.

“Parents aren’t involved because of legislation like this,” said Lane, R-Kanawha. “We say to parents, ‘You don’t have to do your jobs as a parent, because the school is going to take care of it.’”

Poore and other bill supporters, including Delegate Barbara Evans Fleischauer, D-Monongalia, cited news accounts of suicides, acts of violence and other incident link to bullying. House Majority Whip Mike Caputo, a committee member, said such horror stories must stop.

“It’s a crime that children have to go to school in fear,” the Marion County Democrat said. “We absolutely have to go above and beyond to protect the classroom, protect the education system.”

The committee advanced the bill on a non-unanimous voice vote to the full House, where it’s up for a decision on passage next week.



Copyright 2011 The Associated Press.