New NYS Law Signed to Protect Your Kids from Bullying – Including Cyberbullying

If you are a parent you may have already heard complaints from your kids’ about bullying. A recent report found that in 2010, nearly 18% of students said they had been bullied on school property. In addition, 16% said they had been the target of cyberbullying through e-mail, chat rooms, instant messaging, Web sites or texting. That’s a total of 34% off students reporting some kind of bullying!

If this figure concerns you, Cuomo recently signed a bill on 7/9/ 12 which goes into effect July 1, 2013. This bill will strengthen school’s ability to respond, the law requires school districts to institute immediate steps to end bullying behavior, prevent recurrences and ensure the safety of targeted students.

Until this bill goes into effect, here is a collection of NY cyberbullying informational sheets and list of legal aid groups that can help:  New York online bullying resources.