The Florida Times Union: Anti-bullying bill tries to keep peace in school

Lawmakers are close to passing an anti-harassment bill
By Charlie Patton, The Times-Union
In June 2005, 15-year-old Cape Coral resident Jeff Johnston hanged himself, leaving a note that said he "would never get over the eighth grade."

Hank Costen, a Clay County resident whose family lived next door to Johnston's family then, described the young man in an e-mail as a "somewhat quiet and reserved" but "brilliant" youngster who never talked about his troubles and "must have internalized everything."
What he had internalized was relentless bullying by a schoolmate that drove him to take his own life.
Last week the Florida Senate unanimously passed a bill named the Jeffrey Johnston Stand Up for All Students Act, aimed at preventing that kind of school bullying.
School districts would be required to have policies to prohibit the bullying or harassment of any public school student or employee during school or school-sponsored activities. They also would be required to report instances to appropriate law enforcement agencies and the parents of both the bully and the victim.
The bill, which had already unanimously passed in the state House, now goes to Gov. Charlie Crist, who is expected to sign it into law.
Following the recommendation of the Florida Department of Education, which had anticipated the bill's eventual passage, Duval County has already made bullying and harassment a significant offense against the school conduct code, said Kathy Bowles, the school system's supervisor for Safe and Healthy Schools.
Procedures for enforcing the policy and training teachers and administrators on how to enforce the policy will probably be the next step, she said.
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