The Ohio House in an 86-4 vote overwhelmingly approved a new anti-bullying bill as passed by the Senate on January 18 (31-1).  The bill is intended to enhance schools’ anti-bullying policies and improve parental notification.  The bill will now go to Governor Kasich.  (Click here for news report on House/Senate version of bill)

The bill version passed by the House and Senate would amend Ohio Revised Code Section 3313.666, among other statutes, and require boards to develop an anti-bulling policy that expressly prohibits harassment, intimidation, or bullying on a school bus.  The bill would also require an express provision for the possibility of suspension of a student found responsible for bullying on school grounds via the use of a cellular telephone, computer, pager, personal communication device, or other electronic communication device (i.e., “cyberbullying”). 

Among other changes, the bill would also require boards to provide in their policies a way by which an individual may make an anonymous report, and a disciplinary procedure for deliberately making false reports.  Boards would also be required to make their policies available to students and their custodial parents and guardians.  To the extent state or federal funds are given for training, boards would be required to provide age-appropriate written and verbal instruction to students on the consequences of violating board policy with respect to bullying.  Staff would also be required to have training on the policy during required in-service hours.  The bill would also require boards, once per school year, to provide a written statement to parents describing the policy and consequences for violating it.  (Click here for the text of House Bill 116).

Excluded from the final bill were provisions that would have required schools to discipline students for participating in cyberbullying while off of school grounds.