Senate committee recommends House Bill 44 to floor; bill would require parent notice for serious bullying suspensions

House Bill 44 would require school districts to notify parents when a bullying incident rises to a level that results in student suspension, Representative Chris Mathias told the Senate Education Committee on Feb. 11.

The bill’s goal, Mathias said, is to give parents “time‑sensitive” information so they can help children at moments of acute risk. “When serious incidents of bullying occur, we are acknowledging that’s when kids are most vulnerable in many instances to suicide,” Mathias said.

Mathias said the bill narrows language from a prior proposal (House Bill 539) that had required notification for all bullying incidents. Under HB 44, only incidents resulting in suspension would automatically trigger notification to the families of both the alleged bully and the alleged victim. The bill does not prescribe the…