Anti-Bullying Law Overturned
New Jersey’s recently enacted “Anti-Bullying Bill of Rights” has been struck down by the Council on Local Mandates.
The state has until the end of March to amend the law or to provide funding for its implementation, according to Gannett’s Statehouse Bureau.
The Council on Local Mandates was created in 1995 by a constitutional amendment approved by the voters. Its members are appointed by the governor and both parties leaders in the legislature and the chief justice of the supreme court. The council is empowered to “expire” laws, rules and regulations that compel boards of educations, municipalities and counties to take action without providing resources to pay for the mandate.
Assemblywoman Valerie Vainieri Huttle (D-Bergen), the anti bullying bill’s lead sponsor, called the council a “rarely used, shadowy fourth branch of government.”
Why is it rarely used? MMM often hears local municipal officials and school board members complaining about money the state is making them spend.
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This definitely was an unfunded mandate from/by the State. Next one they should look at is the new teacher evaluation system which is another unfunded mandate with huge potential costs to some districts and their property taxpayers.
State say=State pay
Gosh, I am agreeing with Bob English again.
Thank You Mary Pat for paying attention this and the Gay Marriage law while New Jerseyans struggle to pay taxes
It is not rarely used but it would be if the legislature would obey the law and not pass unfunded mandates.
Good. This law required each Board of Education to hire two staff members to stop the bullying. This would be 1,200 new public employees that NJ does not need.
—-plus the nightmare of deciding just exactly what is bullying—and what is not. Who on earth is equipped to do that wisely, fairly and equitably?
Another law with good intentions [who wants little Johnny considering suicide because 200 kids ganged up on him on facebook??]—-but with terrible unintended consequences.
The anti-bullying law is still being enforced by school districts across the State of New Jersey even though the law has been overturned. These school districts had better be careful because they may be opening themselves up for some civil suits. Also,the students in the New Jersey schools have been informed about the Anti-bullying law. Now, the students are using the law as a weapon against, teachers, bus drivers, and whomever they feel like attacking. If the students don’t like a teacher or bus driver, for what ever reason, then the student goes to the principal and files a “bullying” complaint against the staff person that they wish to harm. This “Un-constitutional” law has handed a weapon and authority over to the students to wield against whomever they want. This is insane.
[…] to work to the state’s misguided anti-bullying bill of rights. The anti-bullying law was overturned as an unfunded mandate in January. The “fix” announced yesterday is designed to keep […]