Anti-bullying conference results in new legislation to combat bullying
State capitol of Iowa
(DES MOINES) – Gov. Terry E. Branstad’s and Lt. Gov. Kim Reynolds’ anti-bullying conference in Des Moines last November has resulted in new legislation to combat the bullying of Iowa students.
More than 1,200 Iowans attended the Nov. 27, 2012, Governor’s Bullying Prevention Summit, at Hy-Vee Hall in Des Moines to discuss how to better address bullying. The proposed bill helps schools better protect students from bullying by addressing the growing problem of cyber-bullying while respecting free-speech rights.
The legislation, House Study Bill 196, was produced by the School Administrators of Iowa, which spearheaded the effort to update Iowa Code, and did so in consultation with the Iowa Department of Education. The legislation will be introduced by Rep. Ron Jorgensen, R-Sioux City, who chairs the House Education Committee.
Changes proposed to existing statute include the following:
1. Giving schools more authority to address cyber-bullying by (a) adding “social networking” to the definition of electronic communications and (b) stating that nothing stops a school from addressing bullying or harassment that occurs away from school or a school function, while providing additional protection to school employees who decide not to act on alleged bullying under those circumstances.
2. Expanding the definition of traits or characteristics by adding “other distinguishing characteristic.”
3. Separating the definition of harassment and bullying. Harassment means conduct or an act based on an actual or perceived trait or characteristic of the student. Bullying is conduct or an act for “any reason other than any actual or perceived trait or characteristic of the student.” Sometimes kids are bullied for reasons that are not properly categorized as a trait or characteristic. Examples include relationship status, such as a boy threatening a classmate dating his former girlfriend, or a group of girls shunning a girl they’ve decided to pick on.
4. Requiring online posting of anti-bullying policies and complaint forms.
5. Protecting students’ First Amendment rights by stating that nothing in the legislation shall be construed to restrain or discipline speech that expresses political, religious or other protected categories of speech, which address legitimate matters of public concern.
31 Responses to Anti-bullying conference results in new legislation to combat bullying
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as seen from here
March 9, 2013 at 2:45 pm
Man up, you’ve raised a bunch of chickens schidtz!
Tim
March 6, 2013 at 11:37 am
My only comment on this is why are the schools involve in this. This should not be a school problem to deal with. We are now going to have to add more money to the school to do something else other than teaching. This is a parent and maybe law enforcement problem.
anonymous
March 6, 2013 at 11:47 am
Because it happens at school. Teachers teach more than the 3 R’s. They teach appropriate behavior. Along with the parents teaching. But not all parents are responsible citizens themselves. Also if schools don’t do anything then parents will come back at them with lawsuits if their child gets hurt by a bully. Happens.
Joao do Carmo
March 6, 2013 at 5:49 pm
Unfortunately it seems that the parents are abdicating their role as PARENTS. Abd we havce hamstrung our Teachers. No longer can you punish a student (corpral or otherwise, heck they can’t even get them out of their class. If you find a well behaved child, you’ll probably find at least one parent who cares.
badpontiac
March 7, 2013 at 11:18 am
The problem is there are many dumbass parents out there.You would be surprise how many of them don’t have common sense. I take my kids to school and pick them up everyday you’d be amazed on what happens everyday. Some kids need extra guidence if the schools didn’t do this who would.
Katie
March 6, 2013 at 10:51 am
The bullying on this web site is an example of what goes on in our schools and society. It amazes me how people cannot discuss anything civilly here without jabbing people, making untrue accusations, and calling names. It is truly a microcosm of society. It’s no wonder our kids are a mess.
anonymous
March 6, 2013 at 11:18 am
Well just like in schools and society those who hold the key to the kingdom should enforce good behavior. People only get away with what the parent, owner,enforcer or leader sets for example and allows. Bullies learn quick how far they can go.
anonymous
March 6, 2013 at 12:02 pm
Does it matter WHO the target of bullying is? Be it classmate, co-worker or who-ever. Bullying is bullying. Right Katie?
KatieReply
February 25, 2013 at 12:20 pm
I found the perfect sculpture for some building in Mason City. I’m sure those of you who hate the sculptures would welcome this one and would probably personally contribute to buy it. ;-) Just kidding!
http://www.architizer.com/en_us/blog/dyn/76781/giant-dog-defaces-on-bad-architecture-locals-love-it/#.USuqsB18nnF
anonymous
March 6, 2013 at 9:43 am
@Katie,I don’t know what school you went to but where I went there was corporal punishment and that’s why kids behaved. They’ve taken corporal punishment out of schools and that’s why kids run the teachers these days. You must not have gone to Catholic school and met up with Sister Cecelia. Those rulers hurt!
Don’t get me wrong. I don’t favor corporal punishment. I just recall teachers throwing shoes and shop tools. That’s why we behaved.
Katie
March 6, 2013 at 10:46 am
We had teachers who made behaving fun. I still remember one of our lower-grade teachers telling us sweetly as we left the classroom for the hallway to be “quiet as little mice”. There was no “Ssshhhh” or “QUIET”. Just niceness and wanting to please her.
LVS
March 6, 2013 at 11:01 am
@Katie-as I recall (it was a long time ago) that there were very few problems in school when I was growing up. Just the mention of having to go to the principals office was enough to straighten up everyone because you knew if you went there your parents would be called and maybe the principle wouldn’t spank you but your parents darn sure would. Different time, different values.
anonymous
March 6, 2013 at 11:06 am
Teachers were held at a higher regard. Nowdays we have people crowing because teachers want a fair wage and rules have gotten more lax.
Some people dress up their bullying in pretty words. Others use funky name calling. Same difference.
anonymous
March 6, 2013 at 9:34 am
Bullying is derived from low self-esteem. Bullies have been around forever. Some kids grow out of it and some grow up to be adult bullies. The best way to handle a buly is to be confident in yourself and not show weakness. Showing weakness makes you an easy target. The more a bully thinks he’s getting your goat and touching on your sensitive points and can pull your strings the more they’ll keep up the bullying. Being confident or feeding them their own medicine will drive them crazy and away.
another brick in the mall
March 6, 2013 at 10:39 am
This is exactly how one should handle themselves around the police.
anonymous
March 6, 2013 at 11:14 am
I wouldn’t know. I’ve always been recued by police not threatened by them. They’re my friends in need. :)Perhaps you’ve given them reason to use their long arm.
another brick in the mall
March 6, 2013 at 11:55 am
I guess you didn’t know them as kids! lol
another brick in the mall
March 3, 2013 at 4:44 pm
This must be more from the communists..oops I mean democrats, because Republicans are absolutely in love with bullying. Cradle to the grave bullying.
If we never have any bullies, how are we supposed to staff the police departments around the country? Bullies need love too.
anonymous
March 6, 2013 at 9:37 am
Correction: It’s “Democrats”. “republicans”.
Capitol D little r. lol
Katie
March 3, 2013 at 12:01 pm
I watched my 5-year old grandson play flag football and a kid on the other team constantly tried to bully him. They are both the biggest kids on the teams, the size of 7-year olds. My grandson totally ignored him and the coaches were too busy to notice it. The kid’s parents were sitting too far away to hear it. My grandson is the better athlete and the other kid really had no clue yet what the game was about. The bullying seemed to be based on jealousy. This kid obviously needs some counseling, but how do you go about tactfully getting parents to understand this about a 5-year old? In so many cases, there are already problems with the family dynamics when bullying starts that young.
This is part of the reason why I think morals and ethics need to be part of the yearly school curriculum in some manner. Kids need to be taught right and wrong, what is legal and illegal, and what behavior is acceptable and what is not starting at a very young age. This has become as important in our increasingly decadent society as any of the other subjects.
LVS
March 3, 2013 at 12:12 pm
@Katie-It used to be the parents responsibility to teach their kids that type of stuff and it still should be. We have enough Big Brother stuff already.
Allen
March 4, 2013 at 5:06 pm
I agree 100% with LVS, it is the parents responsibility to teach their children that this is wrong. Why should the government be responsible for the actions of my children. I didn’t have this kind of intervention when I went to school, and yes, there were bullies. How do you peacefully contend with a bully. I say peacefully because, if you give the bully some of his own medicine, some would then say you are the bully. But believe it or not, that kind of medicine usually worked. Back in the 60′s when the government took discipline away from the parents and teachers, we began generations of children that were told that parents and teachers couldn’t discipline them. So now we’re seeing the results of big brothers hand, and don’t know what to do about it. OH, am I going to get beat up on this comment….
Katie
March 4, 2013 at 5:21 pm
Big Brother took discipline out of schools and home and the teaching of discipline, ethics and morals needs to be put back in both. Too many young parents today were coddled, enabled, babied, and never had to fight their own battles and don’t know how to teach their own kids the skills they need to live strong, independent lives. The kids think they need all kinds of crutches to survive and they fail. One of my female teenage Facebook contacts called a friend a whore the other day. She’s another girl who will never get far, especially if an employer ever checks her FB page because she has no thought to her future or the consequences of being a bully.
another brick in the mall
March 4, 2013 at 5:30 pm
So LVS, Allen and Katie are in favor of bringing back corporal punishment to the public schools?
Katie
March 4, 2013 at 5:49 pm
There was no need for corporal punishment in my school back in the 50′s and 60′s. No one misbehaved enough to get spanked or even fingers slapped with a ruler. We were taught to sit still and be quiet and we did. I don’t remember kids getting sent to the principal’s office EVER in grade school. Yes. Some did in high school, but it wasn’t for acting up in class. It might have been for being late, taking too long to go to the restroom, or sneaking out to go uptown. But it wasn’t anything compared to now. I never heard of a principal ever physically punishing a student and there was no disrespect in some classrooms like now. I don’t think schools should be able to physically punish children, but I can certainly understand how some teachers and administrators now need to learn how to defend themselves against the physical attacks from some of these out-of-control students.
LVS
March 6, 2013 at 9:47 am
@Allen-very well put. You hit the nail right on the head.
LVS
March 6, 2013 at 10:45 am
@Katie-don’t for get those out of control parents too. All those brain dead pot smokers for got to put on rubbers and have now multiplied and have brain dead kids in school. They are just to stoned to know it.
anonymous
March 6, 2013 at 9:24 am
Kids who bully have parents who bully. With all the bullying going on in politics it’s no wonder it’s rubbed off on kids. The only thing a parent can do is teach their kids how to stand up to one and not let the bullying bring them down. I love taking on a bully and putting them in their place. They hate that! They start calling their opponent funny names when they become aware they’re losing.
LVS
March 3, 2013 at 10:42 am
Oh boy-this will really help (not). The only thing that will stop a bully is to stand up to them and tell them you won’t take it anymore. If it becomes physical then so be it. You can put in all the rules you want and make all the laws you want but it will not stop it.
badpontiac
March 3, 2013 at 5:49 pm
You most not have any children or grandchildren in school. It is working
Anonymous
March 4, 2013 at 4:20 am
LVS didn’t worry about bullies when he went to school. Segregation overshadowed it.
LVS
March 4, 2013 at 9:08 am
@Anonymous-your STUPID is showing.