New Jersey Statehouse (credit: Marion Touvel/Wikimedia Commons)
TRENTON, N.J. (AP) — New Jersey’s Council on Local Mandates says the state’s tough new anti-school bullying law is an unfunded mandate and needs to be fixed.
The council made its ruling Friday in a 7-2 decision.
The ruling is to take effect in March when the council issues a formal order.
It came in response to a complaint from the Board of Education in Allamuchy Township that training educators on the law would cost the district $6,000.
The council said Friday in oral remarks reported by The Star-Ledger that it will be up to lawmakers to make changes.
The chairman of Garden State Equality, a gay rights group that pushed for the anti-bullying law, says fixing it might not require the state to provide funding to school districts to implement the law.
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3 Comments
We need legislation to protect public employees from Governor Christy’s bullying.
January 30, 2012 at 9:26 pm
Fred
There are lots of things wrong with this law. No one has problems trying to stop bullying in schools. The problem is in the details which are wastful in time and in some instances money. School boards and administrators tried to tell them that but the lawmakers just pushed this through without considering its actual impact. There is also the piece that requires schools to get involved in activities outside of school. I won’t be surprised if first amendment issues are used to challenge this someday.
January 30, 2012 at 11:00 am
Of course it lacks funding. Too much money being spent on Christie’s dining tab and protecting sin-o-gags.
January 27, 2012 at 9:31 pm