The House Education Committee today defeated a bill intended to crack down on cyberbullying and other forms of harassment in school. The measure sponsored by Democrat Mike Denham of Maysville would have required school districts to adopt a policy on cyberbullying, take disciplinary action against students who violate the policy and report all those actions to the Kentucky Department of Education. Those who voted against the measure think it goes too far. One of them was Ben Waide. He’s a Republican from Madisonville…
Other opponents say the bill is unnecessary because most school districts already have policies against cyberbullying that spell out the penalties for doing so. Democrat David Watkins of Hopkinsville voted “yes”. He says legislators are derelict in their duties when they don’t protect children…
House Education Committee Chairman Derrick Graham is recommending that Denham re-present the bill to the panel at a later date. Graham is a former teacher who voted for the measure.