A bill aimed at establishing a statewide definition of bullying in Kentucky’s public schools is headed to Gov. Matt Bevin after clearing the state General Assembly.
The measure passed the House with no debate on Monday. It cleared the Senate earlier this month.
The bill’s lead sponsor is Republican Sen. Danny Carroll of Paducah.
Carroll said the standardized definition would provide schools with more guidance in identifying and stopping bullying. He said the definition would be incorporated into codes of conduct at schools, and would allow schools to accurately report the number of bullying incidents.
The bill defines bullying as “any unwanted verbal, physical or social behavior among students that involves a real or perceived power imbalance and is repeated or has the potential to be repeated.” Under the legislation, such bullying must occur on school premises or “disrupt the education process” to qualify.
