Bill > A377

Introduced Session

This bill amends the definition of harassment, intimidation, and bullying and requires school districts to: develop guidance concerning the district's harassment, intimidation, and bullying policy; create a School Safety Committee; and develop a Responsible Use Policy. The bill also permits school districts to pay a stipend to the district's anti-bullying specialists. The bill amends the definition of harassment, intimidation, or bullying to apply only to students. Under the bill, a school district will develop and issue guidance surrounding the district's harassment, intimidation, and bullying policy for the anti-bullying specialist and for students. This guidance will be provided to the anti-bullying specialist, the parent or guardian of a student enrolled in grades K through 8, and students enrolled in grades 9 through 12. The bill provides that a school anti-bullying specialist is eligible to receive a stipend in an amount not to exceed $1,000. The bill permits the district to seek reimbursement from the Department of Education for the amounts paid to the district's anti-bullying specialist if the school district can demonstrate that funding the stipend creates a financial burden on the district. Under the bill, the board of education of a school district will create a School Safety Committee to ensure appropriate review and implementation of the district's harassment, intimidation, and bullying policies. The committee, which is to meet at least two times per year, will be comprised of members that include the principal of a school in the district; two teachers, one of whom is a member of a child study team in the district; and two members of the community with relevant experience in harassment, intimidation, and bullying in schools. Under the bill, a board of education is to develop a Responsible Use Policy that outlines, in simple and accessible language, the terms of responsible use of the Internet and consequences that may arise when the Internet is misused, and provide a copy of the policy to the parents or guardians of enrolled students.

Committee Categories

Reginald Atkins (D)*,  Shanique Speight (D)*,  Sterley Stanley (D)*, 

Introduced, Referred to Assembly Education Committee (on 01/09/2024)

Official Document