HUDSON COUNTY AND BEYOND – Legislators in the state Assembly and Senate will introduce bills Tuesday to curb bullying in the Garden State.
Known as Anti-Bullying Bill of Rights, the legislation will give schools and alleged victims of bullying new legal tools to report harassment and new steps to prosecute those allegedly responsible.
Sponsored by Senate Majority Leader Barbara Buono (D-Dist. 18) in the Senate and cosponsored by Valerie Huttle (D-Dist. 37) and Mary Pat Angelini (R-Dist. 11) in the Assembly, the bill already has bipartisan support.
The problem of bullying, and the long-term impact it can have on the lives of victims, has received renewed attention since death of Tyler Clementi last month. On Sept., 22, the 18 year-old Rutgers University student took his own life after his roommate and a friend secretly shot footage of him having sex then streamed live video footage online. – E. Assata Wright