Both The Record and the Star-Ledger have editorials out urging the State to keep the anti-bullying law even though the NJ’s Council on Local Mandates ruled that the new legislation amounts to an unconstitutional unfunded mandate.
The Editorial Boards of both papers praise NJ’s far-reaching law as an honorable attempt to protect kids who suffer bullying by peers. That’s true. And both editorials assume that the costs incurred by local districts are largely teacher and staff training (including everyone from custodians to school board members). That’s part of the cost, although the greatest expense to districts is probably the diversion of time spent filing reports, mounting investigations, and complying with rigid time schedules.
New Jersey School Boards Association has commented on the law’s impact on districts. So has the NJ Principals and Supervisors Association, which conducted a survey of its members. Some of the conclusions:
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Unfunded mandate aside, the real problem with this law is its establishment of three undefined terms of art: harassment, intimidation and bullying.
Assemblywoman Huttle seems to think we should instinctively know where the line is drawn.
Not so in practice. It will take more than a financial band-aid to stabilize the situation.