Cyberbullying bill passes to the Senate
March 4, 2011 ·
The state senate will now consider a house bill that cracks down on school bullying. The bill makes it illegal to harass anyone by the use of a computer or wireless communication device.
The bill will not require school administrators to react to incidents that take place on school buses and at bus stops.
Del. Mesha Poore of Kanawha County, a leading advocate of House Bill 3225 to crack down on school bullies, realizes it was watered down in hopes the Senate would accept it. Poore had inserted the language about off campus bullying and understands that many of her colleagues opposed it as too broad.
She considers the efforts to halt cyber bullying that are contained in the bill to be a major part of the proposed new law. Poore says mean spirited messages and rumors now go out to hundreds of young people via facebook and other social networking sites and says it’s damaging to schools and students.
Both the House Finance and Judiciary committees will be back in action Friday morning to start work on the dozens of Senate bills they now need to consider.