Articles

Tougher Law On Bullying Gets Nod

Ben Smith, AJC Staff
February 12, 2004

The accidental shooting of a Columbus schoolgirl by the alleged victim of a bully prompted the state House Thursday to pass a tougher anti-bullying statute for Georgia schools.

The bill passed 118-52, despite the objections of some lawmakers who said the measure might render school systems vulnerable to lawsuits.

The measure would expand the current law to cover elementary schools as well as middle and high schools. It also would allow parents and students to make anonymous tips to their local schools and would require that all reports of bullying be investigated.

The legislation also rewrites the definition of bullying, which is now a student's "willful attempt or threat to inflict injury," or an "intentional display of force" to provoke fear. Under the new definition, bullying would be "any pattern of written or verbal expression or any physical act or gesture that is intended to ridicule, humiliate, intimidate, or cause measurable physical or emotional distress upon one or more students in the school, on school grounds, in school vehicles, at designated school bus stops, or at school activities or sanctioned events."

The bill, sponsored by state Rep. Carolyn Hugley (D-Columbus) was prompted by the Aug. 14, 2003, death of high school freshman Bianca Walton, who was killed as she walked her younger sister home from school. Police accused Terrell Poe, 14, of opening fire on another teen who had previously bullied him and was picking a fight. Poe pleaded innocent to murder and other charges.

"We have a situation where two children...should be in school today," Hugley said. "One is in the cemetery, and the other is in the[custody of the] Department of Juvenile Justice."

Reprinted with permission from The Atlanta Journal and The Atlanta Constitution. Further reproduction, retransmission or distribution of these materials without the prior written consent of The Atlanta Journal and The Atlanta Constitution, and any copyright holder identified in the material's copyright notice, is prohibited.