District Will Consult Lawyer on Anti-Bullying Law Changes

The will consult its lawyer regarding a recent ruling that rendered the state’s new anti-bullying law unconstitutional.

“What we’ll end up having to do is address any changes with our lawyer to ensure we’re in compliance with the letter of the law,” Assistant Superintendent for Human Resources Scott Rocco said.

A stating that the law doesn’t provide funding for schools to comply with the new rules. The ruling goes into effect 60 days after the Jan. 27 ruling.

But since the state has not released anything formal about the ruling, the district will still operate as it has since September.

“There’s been nothing formal sent to us from the state at this point,” Rocco said. “This law is in effect until it’s not.”

The . It’s led to . District officials said that the amount of hours spent on the incidents has dropped since the beginning of the school year, though it’s still a major time commitment..

The law protocols require districts to conduct investigations regardless of the incident—necessitating the extra hours for incidents that may not be harassment, intimidation and bullying. The investigations can take anywhere from three hours to longer periods of time, according to Rocco.

Still, board members . The coordinator would be responsible for many of the provisions from the law, as well as fielding questions from school anti-bullying specialists and arranging proactive procedures, protocols, and programs for students and staff. It would be a part-time position, according to the district.

Rocco noted that the state could opt to revise the law, in which case the district would consult its lawyer to ensure it complies with any changes.

“The board has talked about the amount of time it has taken to implement the new law and the costs,” he said. “Right now, we are waiting to hear from the state.”