Anti-bullying bill has local support

A Senate bill aimed at tightening Idaho's anti-bullying law has the support of the Kootenai County Task Force on Human Relations.

In a statement announcing their support for the bill, the task force said the Idaho State Department of Education receives weekly complaints from parents who say some schools will not take action when kids are bullied.

Senate Bill 1358 expands the state's existing law protecting school children from bullying by requiring every school district to have its own anti- bullying policy. The legislation also includes provisions for training to make sure teachers and school staff know they are expected to intervene when they see bullying occurring. The bill also sets penalties for cyberbullying.

“We witness tragedy after tragedy across America when a young person commits suicide, often from being bullied for weeks and months and no one intervenes,” said Christie Wood, president of the task force board. “As a police officer, I often see reports of this growing tragedy."

Tony Stewart, task force board secretary, said, “With Idaho ranking fourth in the United States with the highest suicide rate, we can no longer delay action to support such measures as SB 1358."

Stewart said Idaho state senators Nicole LeFavour, John Goedde and  Shawn Keough and Idaho state representatives Brian Cronin, Christy Perry and Mack Shirley co-sponsored the bill.

Task force members are encouraging citizens to call their Idaho state legislators and urge passage of the legislation.

The Idaho Senate Judiciary and Rules Committee will hold a public hearing on SB 1358 this Wednesday at 1:30 p.m.