Florida legislature passes anti-bullying law
The Florida legislature has passed an anti-bullying law entitled the Jeffrey Johnston Stand Up for All Students Act, which requires schools to adopt policies to discourage bullying in person and online or risk losing state funding. Florida Gov. Charlie Crist is expected to sign the bill into law immediately. According to statistics from the Department of Justice, 77% of middle school students say they have been bullied or threatened by other kids. While 35 states encourage schools to spell out anti-bullying policies, Florida is only the second state to penalize schools that don't comply. Under the law, Florida schools will also have to follow up on reports of bullying by contacting the parents of all students involved, including the bullies.
Source: ABC News, 5/2/08, By Juju Chang, Linda Owens & Jonann Brady
[Editor’s Note: In 2007 the Iowa House of Representatives approved an anti-bullying bill that requires public and private schools to have policies by Sept. 1, 2007, that prevent and punish bullying or harassment of any student. For additional background, see below.]
NSBA School Law pages on Iowa anti-bullying legislation