Parents, students urge creation of school bullying study committee after widespread testimony

Concord — A packed hearing on Senate Bill 210 drew parents, students, educators and community advocates who urged the House Education Policy Committee to create a study committee to examine school bullying, reporting practices and accountability across New Hampshire.

Representative Matt Sabor (Rockingham District 30), who requested the continued hearing, framed the measure as a response to what he described as a breakdown in discipline and a pattern of parents afraid to speak out. “We need consistent statewide standards for bullying prevention. We need clear protocols for addressing violence. We need real accountability for schools that fail to act,” Sabor said.

Several witnesses who said their children were harmed recounted specific episodes. Sarah Koutrehas, cofounder and co‑director of Synergy Academy, a Concord charter school, told the committee that at least 80 percent of her students had experienced bullying and that some arriving students come from other schools after severe incidents, including threats and physical assaults. “Some of my students have received death threats with very specific information on how a child should commit suicide,” Koutrehas said.

Parents from Seabrook and Kennett described extended conflicts they said school officials failed to stop. Lee Brown testified about her daughter being sexually assaulted after a school bus incident and said administrators dismissed later complaints and that her daughter missed 40 days of school because she felt unsafe. Kevin Clifford and his son described what they called years of abuse and retaliation at Kennett High School and its hockey program; the father said an investigatory report was handled by the district’s legal firm and that the family faced retaliatory community pressure after going public.

Multiple witnesses argued current legal remedies fall short. Anne Marie Banfield, a parental‑rights advocate, urged the committee to include parents who have had direct experience in the study and to evaluate whether districts are using therapeutic interventions in place of disciplinary measures. “There must always be consequences to this kind of behavior,” Banfield said, cautioning that restorative models without accountability can empower repeat offenders.

Students also testified. A 15‑year‑old Synergy Academy student, Addison Kiernan, detailed death threats and online harassment at a prior school and said the Synergy response had been immediate and effective, contrasting that experience with the earlier trauma. Multiple witnesses urged the committee to gather data and best practices, include parents and students on the committee, and consider changes to state reporting, district investigatory standards and the definition of negligence under RSA statutes.

Committee members did not vote on SB 210 at the hearing. Several lawmakers asked for more specific proposals about membership, data collection and statutory definitions of district responsibility — including whether the committee should examine when administrative failures rise to gross negligence under existing law.

For now the bill remains in committee; supporters asked lawmakers to ensure any study includes parents, affected students and educators and to consider remedies that make discipline consistent and transparent statewide.