New Jersey would add bullying prevention lessons to school standards

The State Board of Education would review and update both sets of state learning standards to include age-appropriate instruction about bullying awareness and prevention. The update would cover the New Jersey Student Learning Standards and the New Jersey Preschool Teaching and Learning Standards, for students from preschool through grade 12. The board would consider lessons on types of bullying, online harassment and its possible harm, ways to seek help, and possible consequences for the perpetrator, including school discipline and criminal action. The board must allow the public to comment in person or in writing, post a summary of the updates and where the lessons appear, and consider revisions with later standards updates. The board would make the first update during the next scheduled standards update after enactment. It would consider revisions during each later standards update.