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| David M. Walker (U.S. Comptroller General) (Photo credit: Wikipedia) |
The federal Government Accountability Office has issued a report today pertaining to school bullying. The title of the report is "SCHOOL BULLYING: Extent of Legal Protections for Vulnerable Groups Needs to Be More Fully Assessed." This relates to the current hot button issue in special education law although bullying affects more than just special education students. The GAO reviewed research on the prevalence and effects on victims; and analyzed state bullying laws, and school district bullying policies.
After looking into the school bullying problem, the GAO made several recommendations. The recommendations included: that the Department of Education compile information about state civil rights laws and procedures that relate to bullying, and inform complainants about state legal options; that the Departments of Education, HHS, and Justice develop information about bullied demographic groups in their surveys; and assess whether legal protections are adequate for these groups. Here is a summary of the GAO report.
You can read the entire 64 page GAO report here.
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ReplyDeleteThe article (well, to be precise, its summary) mentions the difficulty of determining the jurisdiction of a school. It’s an issue I’ve been divided on for some time...
ReplyDeleteObviously, bullying is a horrible thing, and without question, there are parents without the time or care to monitor what happens outside the school environment. But at the same time, I’m not sure I’m comfortable with the idea that a school can monitor everything a child says and does, regardless of location. I think it’s an invasive solution to a problem better solved by addressing the core problem; responsibility of the parent themselves.
If the problem expands onto school grounds, however, the school has jurisdiction, without question.
Sarah,
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comment.
JG