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Relating to bullying and cyberbullying in public schools.
No significant fiscal implication to the State is anticipated.
SB 2050 would revise requirements for a public school district policy on bullying, including cyberbullying. The bill changes from a discretionary feature to a mandatory feature that the policy prevents and mediates bullying incidents between students that interfere with a student's educational opportunities or substantially disrupt the orderly operation of a classroom, school, or school-sponsored or school-related activity and requires the policy to comply with the minimum standards adopted by the Texas Education Agency (TEA). Additionally, the bill would require districts to include an emphasis on bullying prevention by certain means, require each district campus to establish a committee to address bullying by certain means, require students at each grade level to meet periodically for instruction on bullying prevention, require districts to collect information annually through student surveys on bullying, and require districts to develop a rubric or checklist to assess an incident of bullying and to determine the district's response to the incident.
Texas Action is opposed to SB 2050 on the principles of limited government and individual liberty. While we agree that bullying is a serious issue to be addressed, the issue is one best handled at the local level rather than by statewide mandate.
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