Cuomo Signs New York's First Cyberbullying Law

Assemblyman Harvey Weisenberg, D-Long Beach, recently lauded the passage of New York's cyberbullying law. Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed the Dignity for All Students Act into law Monday.

According to the Daily News:

The bill requires schools to develop proper protocol to deal with complaints of email, texting or online harassment and designate an official to handle investigations.

Districts will also have to develop preemptive measures to prevent recurrences and create age-appropriate curriculum for students from kindergarten to 12th grade on “safe, responsible use of Internet and electronic communications” as well as “civility, citizenship and character education.”

The state Education Department plans to develop guidance on implementing the requirements by the time the law goes into effect on July 1, 2013, Newsday reported.

However the bill does not make cyberbullying a crime.

"Too many young people suffer from cyberbullying," Weisenberg said. "This harassment, if left unchecked, can escalate into tragedy. This new law I sponsored will help ensure a safe environment in our schools."

David Weiss, superintendent of Long Beach School District, said that the recent DASA legislation has already been incorporated into the district’s Code of Conduct and contains more detailed definitions of bullying and cyber-bullying. 

“The law requires additional training for our staff on how to identify and deal with bullying behavior and cyber-bullying,” Weiss said. “It will serve as a complement to our district-wide effort to focus on the social and emotional growth of all of our students, pre-K through high school, and to the anti-bullying clubs and programs that are already in place.” 

Weiss noted that the mandate has been added without the benefit of full legislative hearings to dicuss its impact on schools, staffing and the legal system.

“We are waiting for the New York State Depart of Education to issue regulations regarding this section of DASA before making modifications to our existing procedures to address cyber-bullying,” Weiss added. “In the meantime, we will continue to make it a priority to instruct students in cyber-safety and cyber-citizenship.”