A new law, the Dignity for All Students Act, which includes explicit definitions of bullying and "affirmative mandates" for reporting by students, teachers and administrators will take affect in New York State on July 1. Eleven other states have passed similar legislation.
Rye City School Superintendent Dr. Edward Shine spent Monday morning discussing the law and its implications with parents and members of the board. He said it includes specific definitions of what constitutes bullying and establishes mandated reporting for administrators, teachers and students.
Shine described Monday's meeting as a public hearing for parents to give the board feedback.
In response to a parent question about the responsiveness and responsibilty of the district for incidents that may occur off campus, Shine said that the district's current code of conduct includes a "nexus clause" that allows for intervention into incidents where there is a "nexus between what happens outside the school day and school." In those incidents, Shine said, "the district has a responsibility to intervene."
, Shine used the example of a student breaking a speeding law on the one hand and a hypothetical act of cyberbullying on the other to illustrate what kinds of transgressions might be seen as having a 'nexus' with school activity.
Have you heard about this law? Do you think it can make in difference on attitudes about school bullying?
If even the hint of an unauthorized “hazing” session or some other inappropriate organized behavior was in the air, the principal and his or her assistants would call the entire class that the miscreants matriculated in (here it was the 11th grade) into the auditorium and tell them what was suspected and tell them it wasn’t going to happen. They’d be told that if anyone caught doing the inappropriate thing would be expelled and the Rye police would prosecute them as criminals (whether they ultimately did or not) and their parents would be involved, very involved. And then they’d dismiss the session and monitor the situation through their network of relationships built over time with class leaders and regular students and see if the warning had been obeyed.
The rest of the school would see the whole sorry drama and it would stand as a deterrent for many years to any similar recurrence. It was very effective. And extremely educational – one of the most valuable lessons ever to be learned.