Arlington - As Virginia’s students return to school this week after the holiday break, Delegates David Englin (D-45) and Adam Ebbin (D-49) today introduced anti-bullying legislation in the General Assembly.
“Every child deserves to feel safe at school, and a child who doesn’t feel safe can’t learn well and live up to his or her potential,” said Englin. “The Anti-Bullying Responsibility Act will strengthen anti-bullying standards, training, and accountability so all of our students can learn in a safe and nurturing environment.”
“No student in Virginia should be afraid to attend school. My bill will make it unlawful to bully students at any Virginia public school, college, or university,” said Ebbin. “After the May suicide of a York County High School student, a sheriff’s spokesperson said, ‘there is no bullying statute in the state of Virginia, so we are not investigating a crime.’ This is outrageous and must be changed.”
Englin’s bill, the Anti-Bullying Responsibility Act, will:
- Add more specificity regarding bullying, harassment, and intimidation to the codes of student conduct required of local school divisions;
- Require schools to have appropriate procedures in place to separate victims from bullies;
- Change teacher training in bullying intervention from an optional to a required part of in-service training;
- Require that incidents of bullying, harassment, and intimidation be reported to division superintendents; and,
- Hold school administrators responsible for implementing anti-bullying procedures outlined in local policies.
Ebbin’s legislation will:
- Make bullying a Class 1 misdemeanor;
- Give victims the right to sue bullies who are sanctioned or found guilty;
- Provide for expulsions; and,
- Require that bullying causing injury be reported to the Commonwealth’s Attorney.
Delegate David Englin is Vice Chairman of the House Democratic Caucus and is serving his third term in the Virginia House of Delegates, where he represents the 45th District, which includes parts of the City of Alexandria, Fairfax County, and Arlington County. An Air Force veteran, Englin is a graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy and Harvard’s John F. Kennedy School of Government. He serves on the Finance Committee, the Health, Welfare, and Institutions Committee, and the Agriculture, Chesapeake, and Natural Resources Committee. For more information, visit http://www.davidenglin.org.
Delegate Adam Ebbin is the Senior Whip of the House Democratic Caucus and is serving his fourth term in the Virginia House of Delegates, where he represents the 49th House District, which includes parts of Arlington County, the City of Alexandria and Fairfax County. A 2001 fellow of the University of Virginia’s Sorensen Institute of Political Leadership, Ebbin is a graduate of American University. He serves on the Education Committee, and the Transportation Committee, and the Health, Welfare and Institutions Committee. For more information, visit www.adamebbin.com.
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