The State Capitol constructing in Albany.
CC-BY-SA-3.0/Matt H. Wade at Wikipedia
A newly signed New York State legislation is designed to increase anti-bullying protections to personal colleges and require these establishments to research reported incidents and set up clear enforcement insurance policies.
Often known as the Jack Reid Legislation — named after a scholar who died by suicide in New Jersey after he was bullied over false allegations — the invoice was signed into legislation by Gov. Kathy Hochul on Nov. 7 to coincide with Worldwide Day In opposition to Violence and Bullying at Faculty, which is noticed on the primary Thursday of November.
The legislation goals to construct on the Dignity for all College students Act, which took impact in 2012 and is designed to supply public elementary and secondary faculty college students with a secure and supportive atmosphere with out discrimination, intimidation, taunting, harassment, and bullying on faculty property, a faculty bus, and/or at a faculty perform, based on the New York State Schooling Division. The brand new laws largely replicates the scope of the Dignity for all College students Act for personal colleges, although there may be a minimum of one distinction: The Dignity for All College students Act requires public colleges to give you insurance policies and procedures to stop bullying, harassment, and discrimination, whereas the brand new legislation solely requires colleges to create insurance policies pertaining to bullying and harassment — not discrimination.
The invoice was carried within the higher chamber by out homosexual State Senator Brad Hoylman-Sigal of Manhattan and within the Meeting by Lengthy Island Assemblymember Michaelle Solages of District 22, which is simply northeast of John F. Kennedy Worldwide Airport.
“Bullying and harassment run rampant through schools, yet for the last 15 years, New York’s Dignity for All Students Act has only covered public schools, leaving the state’s 420,000 non-public school students unprotected,” Hoylman-Sigal mentioned in a written assertion. “Thanks to the leadership of the Jack Reid Foundation and the support of Governor Hochul, that gaping hole ends today. The Jack Reid Law is a common-sense solution that will require non-public schools to adopt clear anti-bullying and anti-harassment policies, promptly investigate reported bullying and harassment, and take appropriate action to protect victims and stop bullying and harassment.”
Reid’s dad and mom, Elizabeth and Invoice Reid, praised the brand new legislation, stating that they’ve labored to honor their son’s life to stop others from enduring the identical destiny.
“The passage of the Jack Reid Law in New York is a crucial step forward, but it is not the finish line – we look forward to building on this progress and advancing similar protections across the country,” they mentioned. “All children deserve to live in a world where their well-being and happiness are not compromised by the cruelty of bullying.”
Hochul, invoking her personal function as a mom, additionally celebrated the brand new legislation.
“The Jack Reid Law protects kids from the harmful impacts bullying can have on their lives,” Hochul mentioned. “Every student deserves to feel safe when they’re learning, online with fellow students, or enjoying school events off campus, no matter what school they’re enrolled in. As New York’s first mom-governor, I will always stand up for the safety and well-being of our children and do everything in my power to make sure no family endures the kind of heartbreak that inspired this law.”
