Anti-bulling legislative update

decorahnews.com has been doing a series of news stories about bullying, including an interview with State Representative Chris Hall about anti-bullying legislation.  Hall told decorahnews.com he would drop his bill from last session and allow the governor's office to draft legislation instead.  Now that bill—House File 187—has been introduced—with State Representative Roger Thomas as one of the co-sponsors.
 
Thomas tells decorahnews.com that he co-sponsored the bill because "The more sponsors a bill has, the greater chance for passage."  He's hoping that the fact that House File 187 has both Democrats and Republicans sponsoring the bill means that if any differences arise, they can be worked out in a bi-partisan manner.  Thomas says one more reason he agreed to co-sponsor the bill is "Even if a bill doesn't pass, it can provide more awareness to the issue."
 
The legislation encourages school districts and accredited nonpublic schools to establish programs designed to eliminate harassment and bullying.  It also says, "Cyberbullying is an especially insidious form of bullying that occurs most often outside school, but nonetheless affects the school process, impeding the ability of students to learn and succeed.   School districts and schools should be wary of a bully's ability to use technology to reach a broad audience, frequently anonymously.   Therefore, it is the policy of the state of Iowa that school employees, volunteers, and students in Iowa schools shall not engage in harassing or bullying behavior."