Anti-bullying bill clears Iowa House committee

DES MOINES - A scaled-back anti-bullying bill made it through a House committee Thursday and is headed to the full House for a vote.

The committee struck controversial language that specifically gave school officials the authority to investigate reports of off-campus bullying incidents.

Gov. Terry Branstad said the elimination wasn't a deal-breaker.

'Obviously, we would have liked to have seen that part as well,” he said when told of the committee action during a bill signing he hosted Thursday afternoon. 'I know the way the legislative process works, and it's the art of the possible.”

The House version also:

- Requires school districts develop a policy to notify parents of students involved in a bullying incident and provides school employees with immunity for failing to do so if they try to follow the procedure 'reasonably and in good faith.”

- Specifically amends the bill to include social media and requires professional development training for teachers and school staff.

The legislation is one of the governor's priorities that he outlined during his 'Condition of the State” address in January when he described 'the nightmare” bullied children live with both in school and out of school, thanks in large part to social media.

His bill was introduced early this session with the idea it would have an easier time than a similar anti-bullying bill he pushed last year that never got called up in the Republican-controlled House of Representatives. Although it passed the Senate, it stalled in the House, where members worried about free speech, religious freedom and the limits of school authority.

Rep. Chris Hall, D-Sioux City, who pushed for stronger bullying legislation for the past four years, said the bill is 'a step in the right direction,” but he would have preferred it included the off-school-grounds language.

'Even though it might not go as far or be as robust as some of us would like, it still has the potential to positively affect students and schoolchildren,” Hall said.

He called the ability of school personnel to be involved with bullying incidents 'that affect the learning environment” no matter where they occur a 'critical” part of good policy and hoped the Legislature would revisit the idea in the future.

Branstad seemed satisfied something was able to make it out of committee this year.

'I think this is a very significant step forward, and I think it will give an important tool to our schools to provide a safer environment for our kids,” he said.