State must take lead in fight against bullying

With the school year complete and with summer upon us, bullying won’t be a problem for a couple of months, right? Wrong. As more and more kids and teenagers gain access to social networking websites and cell phones with data capability, the bullying problem stretches beyond school property.

Cyberspace offers bullies other platforms on which to harass their victims at any time of day or night. Kids and teens, no matter their race, religion, sexual orientation, disability or insecurity, are potential bullying victims.

When summer rolls around, the state Legislature wraps up its session. But a crucial anti-bullying bill continues to await passage in the Senate. The bill, known as the Dignity for All Students Act, would outlaw harassment in schools and establish a set of guidelines for bullying prevention. It would require schools to adopt new anti-harassment policies and to educate students and parents about them.

The act would also mandate increased emphasis on diversity during school staff training and development.

All incidents involving bullying and harassment would be reported to the State Education Department. Schools would be held accountable for enforcing the new policies, and the information they would pass on to the state would provide it with illuminating statistical analysis.

Furthermore, the act calls for the new procedures to be state-funded. Too often the state passes new mandates for schools but doesn’t provide the districts with the money to implement the new programs or policies. This act would make grant funds available to schools as they initiate the new guidelines, sparing school districts — and taxpayers — from trying to figure out how to pay for yet another unfunded mandate.

Though a state law can’t put an end to every instance of bullying, it could create new cultures of understanding within communities. Anti-bullying education would start at an early age and, the bill’s backers hope, the problem would abate in the future.

During the summer recess, meanwhile, there are places for bullying victims to go for help in Nassau County. The Long Island Crisis Center offers a 24-hour-a-day, seven-day-a-week hotline with certified counselors standing by, ready to offer advice to those with a wide range of needs, including anyone being harassed by bullies and name-callers.

Teen suicides resulting from bullying and cyberbullying have become a national topic of concern. Though some of our local school districts have instituted rules of their own and enhanced awareness of potential bullying behavior through their enforcement, New York state needs to take the lead and establish the parameters to protect kids across the state.

An anti-bullying law has been discussed by state elected officials for years. The Assembly has passed the Dignity for All Students Act. With New York being one of a handful of states in the country with no anti-bullying laws, now is the time for the Senate to act.