Governor Patrick signed an extensive anti-bullying law yesterday, prohibiting physical, emotional, and online taunting and mandating training for faculty and students. It also requires school staff to notify parents about incidents and harassment under the umbrella of bullying behavior. This law is considered one of the toughest laws of its kind in the nation, prompting some experts to wonder if it violates the First Amendment. It will be interesting to see how this law affects students with disabilities. Will the law deter and remedy disability-based taunting? Will students with social and emotional disabilities be labeled as bullies? I guess we will just have to wait and see.
Massachusetts's New Anti-Bullying Law