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Ways and Means panel advances bill to add subgroup data to school bullying reports
Summary
The committee moved House Bill 14 forward with amendments requiring schools to include subgroup data on bullying incidents — but only when there is a substantial increase or a disproportionate incident rate — and to publish results on the school system website.
The Ways and Means Committee on Thursday advanced House Bill 14 with amendments that change how schools report bullying, harassment and intimidation incidents.
Delegate Ebersole moved the amendments, saying the bill "requires changes to a reporting form on bullying, harassment, intimidation to include information on the student's actual or perceived identifying personal characteristic and to report the results on a website." The amendments require that subgroup information be incorporated into public reports only when there is a "substantial increase in incidents for that group or there is a disproportionate incident rate," and they specify the information will be posted to the school system's website.
The amendments were seconded and adopted by voice vote; the sponsor then moved the bill as amended and it was carried favorable from committee. The chair called for the vote and announced, "The ayes have it. House bill 14 moves forward favorable with amendments."
Supporters said the change aims to give school systems clearer thresholds for when subgroup-level reporting is appropriate, while the committee limited the measure to avoid routine publication of potentially sensitive student-level characteristics.
House Bill 14 will proceed from committee with the adopted amendments; no further action was taken at the Ways and Means meeting on Thursday.
