In an effort to address school bullying, harassment and intimidation, the Ohio House of Representatives today voted to enact the School Day Security and Anti-Bullying Act to require age-appropriate instruction—to the extent that federal or state funds are appropriated for this purpose—and parental notification of schools’ policies regarding bullying.

In response to the passage of Amended House Bill 116, which was introduced by Rep. John Barnes (D – 12th House District), Speaker of the Ohio House William G. Batchelder released the following statement:

“My good friend and colleague Rep. Barnes introduced this bill with the intention of making Ohio’s schools a safe learning environment for our children. As a father and grandfather, I can’t think of anything more important than giving our next generation the tools to succeed and making parents more aware of school policies that will affect their children. I’m very pleased to see the passage of this bill with strong bipartisan support and will continue to look at good bills from both sides of the aisle to benefit Ohio’s future.”

According to Am. H.B. 116, school districts have the option of placing the parental notification in report cards to reduce spending. Schools may also convene an assembly to discuss their policies in order to satisfy the age-appropriate instruction requirement—which would be decided by each local school board in the state to determine what is considered to be age appropriate.