Bullying in Tennessee is a misdemeanor as of July 1
Black Owned Newspapers And Blogsby Toter 7 months ago 47 Views 0 comments
By Tori Gessner
NASHVILLE, TN (WKRN) — A change in Tennessee law that formally defines bullying and cyberbullying and ensures the acts would be treated the same as harassment will go into effect July 1.
The amendment, HB 2590, expands the offense of harassment to include bullying and cyberbullying, according to the language in the legislation, and it will require law enforcement to notify the victim’s parents and/or guardians of the bullying situation at school if the victim is a minor.
“There’s an enormous amount of shame that comes from the impact of bullying,” Rodger Dinwiddie, CEO of Students Taking A Right Stand (STARS) Nashville.
Through STARS Nashville, Dinwiddie provides children and youth fair access to prevention, intervention, and treatment services in schools and communities. According to Dinwiddie, 17 to 20 percent of youth are regularly involved with bullying, whether they’re the bully, the victim, or in some cases, both.
Dinwiddie told News 2 schools are already required to notify parents of a bullying situation in most cases, so the change in the law likely won’t have a big impact on that front. However, he does have concerns over whether categorizing bullying and cyberbullying as Class A misdemeanors will impede...
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