Does Minnesota need a stronger anti-bullying law?
"A bill to strengthen Minnesota's anti-bullying law cleared a Senate education committee at the State Capitol Tuesday.
"The bill's chief author made changes he hopes make it more likely to become law this year. But opponents say the changes do not ease many of their concerns," writes MPR News reporter Tim Post.
The bill aims to replace Minnesota's current anti-bullying law, which at 37 words is considered one of the weakest in the nation.
The new measure would require school districts to train staff on how to spot and prevent bullying. And it would mandate better reporting and follow up of bullying incidents.
The bill's chief author, state Sen. Scott Dibble, DFL-Minneapolis, proposed an amendment to ease some of its implementation issues, as a response to school officials who feared the bill was too burdensome and costly. The bill now more narrowly defines bullying, essentially, as any "intimidating, threatening or abusive conduct" but drops any reference to "harassing" behavior.
Read the rest of the story here.
Today's Question: Does Minnesota need a stronger anti-bullying law?
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