48 States Adopt Anti-Bullying Laws

Following the tragedy of the 1999 Columbine shootings, Georgia became the first state in the nation to enact anti-bullying laws. Since then, nearly 150 anti-bullying bills have been introduced across the country, and legislation is now found in nearly every state.

The most recent law came earlier this week when Michigan became the 48th state to enact anti-bullying legislation. Known as “Matt’s Safe School Law,” Michigan’s bill is named in honor of Matthew Epling—a state teen who committed suicide in 2002 after years of relentless bullying.

“This is something that’s long overdue,” said Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder at a bill signing ceremony in the state capital, claiming that he was also a victim of bullying in high school and college.

According to an “Analysis of State Bullying”—a report released this week from the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) examining the variety of laws and policies addressing this problem—bullying in schools is “an urgent social, health, and education concern that has moved to the forefront of public debate on school legislation and policy.”

The DOE says that a growing number of elected officials have come to view bullying as a serious and often neglected issue facing children of all ages and local school systems. According to the department’s report, “The focus on youth bullying has intensified over the past 12 years as a catalyzed reaction to school violence that is often linked explicitly or by inference to bullying.”

Since 1999, analysts have pointed to bullying as an underlying cause to the Columbine High School shooting and other high-profile incidents of violent behavior. This connection to violent acts, combined with a number of publicized suicides in recent years among school-age children and adolescents linked to chronic bullying, have caused the issue to receive national attention.

The DOE says that this heightened visibility of bullying, combined with a growing body of research identifying a range of serious and long-term consequences associated with this behavior—such as depression, substance use, and aggressive impulses—has placed increased pressure on governments and school systems for solutions to more effectively prevent or reduce bullying in schools.

While the problem may be clear, the strategies to address it differ considerably. In a statement, Education Secretary Arne Duncan said that although most states now have legislation addressing school bullies, “a great deal of work remains to ensure adults are doing everything possible to keep our kids safe.”

The DOE says that state laws differ substantially in the number of components they include, and the ways in which those components are addressed.

For example, the report finds that only 20 states outline accountability measures that require school districts to submit bullying policies to the state for review, while fewer than half of all definitions establish the condition that bullying must be “repeated, systematic, or part of a pattern of behavior.”

State legislators say it can take a while to craft the right language for a bullying bill to get passed. But, the report suggests that even after thorough debate and careful deliberation, legislation can still be inadequate. Although nearly every state now has anti-bullying laws, according to the DOE report, only two states contain provisions covering all the key components federal officials say are necessary to address the problem.

Researchers say that how these laws translate into school policy is an important and often missing step to actually reducing bullying. The DOE will issue a follow-up study aimed at identifying how state laws can be effectively put into practice at the school level.