By Kelsey Durham
City Councilman Mark Weprin (D-Oakland Gardens) has introduced new legislation he hopes will tackle an increase in bullying among schoolchildren that he believes has become a dangerous epidemic.
Weprin introduced a bill last week calling for all city public schools to institute required anti-bullying education for students as young as the grade school level, with lessons tailored to meet each students’ age group.
Students would be required to complete a course on the consequences of bullying and the effects it can have on children who are picked on.
Weprin, who has two high school-age children himself, said he was personally motivated to pen the bill because he saw firsthand the effects of bullying when one of his son’s classmates attempted suicide last year.
“It’s become an epidemic and I know the Department of Education has made efforts to teach about understanding and respect, and those are all good programs, but they’re not working well enough,” Weprin said. “So what we need to do is take every kid and sit them down and teach them how to react to bullying, what the effects are on others and how they can step in and stop it from happening.”
One of Weprin’s major concerns is cyberbullying, which his bill defines as “bullying that takes place using electronic technology such as cellphone texting, e-mail and social media Internet sites.”
He said this newest form of intimidation has made it easier for children to say things they would not normally say to someone in person while making it harder to see the aftermath or to intervene and help.
“When I was a kid, someone might get picked on in the schoolyard, but there was always a point where you realized you went too far, whether it was when somebody else stepped in to help, the principal came outside or you could see the emotion on their face,” Weprin said. “Today, bullying happens in the privacy of people’s homes or online and sometimes you have no idea that you’ve crossed a line. It’s more ferocious than when I was a kid and the consequences are much more deadly.”
The councilman said that after students have completed the mandatory anti-bullying course, they would be tested on the material and then required to sign a certificate saying they completed the training. His bill also calls for the establishment of a procedure for investigating bullying complaints as well as strict punishments that are attached to the offense.
Although the bill is still fairly new, it is already being sponsored by Council members from four of the five boroughs, including Ruben Wills (D-Jamaica), Donovan Richards (D-Laurelton) and Paul Vallone (D-Bayside) in Queens.
Weprin said he has not yet had a lengthy discussion with DOE officials about his proposal but said he is hopeful that it will send a message about the dangers of bullying.
“This is not something that can be treated lightly and we can’t just let it go as kids being kids,” he said. “We need to take serious action and make sure that young people are given the tools to combat it.”
Reach reporter Kelsey Durham at 718-260-4573 or by e-mail at kdurham@cnglocal.com.
