Indiana Bill Is Cracking Down On Bullying

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There’s a bill circulating in the state of Indiana that has already been passed by the House. House Bill 1483 places a responsibility on school districts and administrators to report incidents of bullying better to both the victims and suspects parents.

One Elkhart teacher stated, “As a public school teacher, I have been alarmed at the differences between districts on how bullying situations are handled or, at times, avoided”. She went on to discuss how bullying is a serious situation within the school system and how she deals with it in her school district. She was also the parent of a child who was bullied in the past, which was never reported to the parent.

The bill also gives the school district permission to transfer a student bully into another district to avoid encountering the bullying victim. The bill passed 11-0 out of the committee. It will soon be forwarded and heard in the full Senate, which it will then return to the House for approval because of the changes the Senate made. The last step is the bill being sent to the governor, Eric Holcomb.