Anti-bullying bill introduced

Last year, legislation to beef up Idaho’s anti-bullying laws, in party by clarifying that school officials are “authorized and expected to intervene” in cases of bullying, harassment or intimidation of a student, passed the Senate with just three “no” votes and cleared the House Education Committee amid much debate, but never came up for a vote in the full House. Today, the Senate Judiciary Committee has voted unanimously to reintroduce the legislation.

Sen. Shirley McKague, R-Meridian, who made the motion, said, “What we have doesn’t seem to be working, and we need to fix it.” Kim Kane, executive director of the Idaho Suicide Prevention Action Network, who presented the bill to the committee, said, “Every parent has the right to expect that their child will be safe at school. … We are hoping this year there will be a clearer understanding of what bullying is and what this piece of legislation does.” The measure is identical to last year’s SB 1105. Sen. Nicole LeFavour, D-Boise, said she talked with House Majority Leader Mike Moyle over the summer about the measure, “and he said he didn’t see a problem.” The bill will return to the Senate committee for a hearing before proceeding further.