Fri., February 4, 2011 8:59am (EST)

Ga. School Districts Revamp Bullying Policies
By Associated Press
Updated: 2 years ago

ATLANTA  —  
Georgia's new policy classifies bullying as a variety of behaviors from unwanted teasing in the hallways to cyber-bullying through social networking websites or text messages.
Georgia's new policy classifies bullying as a variety of behaviors from unwanted teasing in the hallways to cyber-bullying through social networking websites or text messages.
School districts in Georgia are revamping policies to combat bullying based on new state guidelines, hoping to stem behavior that educators across the country say has become rampant in schools.

The move comes after a new law requiring the Georgia Department of Education to give more specific guidance to schools on handling bullying. State lawmakers passed the law last year after an 11-year-old DeKalb County boy committed suicide at his home in 2009, which his parents blamed on repeated tormenting at school.

The new Georgia policy defines bullying as a range of behaviors from unwanted teasing in the hallways to cyber-bullying through social networking websites or text messages.