New Jersey anti-bullying law will be the toughest in the U.S. after spate of gay teenage suicides
By DAILY MAIL REPORTER
Last updated at 7:48 AM on 26th October 2010
Lawmakers in New Jersey introduced an anti-bullying bill of rights today, which they claim will be one of the toughest state laws of its kind in the U.S.
The proposal follows the widely publicised suicide of Rutgers University student Tyler Clementi, who was outed and humiliated online by fellow students.
The new law would require anti-bullying programmes and codes of conduct in public schools and colleges to address the hateful acts of some individuals against others.
Evidence of bullying: Barbara Buono looks on as David Zimmer holds up a photo of the words 'gay must die' that he says his son took at Ridgewood High School
Introduced by a bipartisan group of legislators and advocates, the proposal seeks to expand on current New Jersey laws that were passed eight years ago.
State Senator Barbara Buono, who was one of the main sponsors of the 2002 law, said she has since learned how prevalent bullying is.
She revealed that parents of tormented children have called her office desperate to find answers on how to help their kids.
Ms Buono said that the original law only encouraged anti-bullying programmes but
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