(TRENTON, N.J.) — Lawmakers in New Jersey will hold hearings Monday on a bill to toughen the state’s anti-bullying laws.
New Jersey has had an anti-bullying law on the books for years, but state politicians say it hasn’t really helped. They want teachers to be trained on how to recognize and prevent harassment, and they want them to report bullying even if it happens off school grounds.
The proposed legislation follows the suicide of Tyler Clementi, a Rutgers University freshman who threw himself off the George Washington Bridge after a video of himself and a male involved in a sexual encounter was streamed online by his roommate and another student.
It is estimated that a third of all students between the ages of 12 and 18 have been bullied at school.
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