Iowa Legislators have started, again, to hammer out the details of a bill that would give school officials greater authority to address bullying that occurs on social media, outside of school hours. This is the third straight year legislators have tried to tackle the issue and Senator Rob Hogg of Cedar Rapids calls for quick action.

Governor Terry Branstad has proposed that this year’s bill include the requirement that parents be notified about bullying incidents that are investigated by school officials. A three-member senate subcommittee is considering the idea of giving students the ability to veto that notification if they fear they’d be kicked out of their home once a parent finds out they’re being bullied. Danny Carroll of The Family Leader, a conservative Christian group, opposes that.

Advocates worry some children might be kicked out of their home if a parent learns they’re being bullied by schoolmates because they’re homosexual.
The three-member subcommittee of senators is scheduled to meet again to try to iron out some of these details. Policy bills like this one must clear a committee in either the House or the Senate by Friday, March 6th or the bills are ineligible for consideration after that deadline.
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