Starting from July 1, a new law brings your schoolyard taunts and online harassments on par with harassment, meaning you could be slapped with a misdemeanor. WSMV reported that Governor Bill Lee has signed off on HB 2590/SB 1887, a piece of legislation introduced by Representative Lowell Russell and Senator Adam Lowe, which also stipulates officers must report incidents of bullying and alert a parent or guardian when the victim is a child.
Under this new legislative measure, students 18 and over could face a Class A misdemeanor, and for those underage, these acts would be considered delinquent, according to an interview with the bill's sponsor Rep. Russell in NewsChannel 9. This law doesn't just aim to penalize but also mandates that law enforcement actively involve parents when these regrettable incidences occur in schools capturing the state's assertive stance against the persistent issue of bullying.
While the enforcement of this law underlines Tennessee’s commitment to safeguard their youth, Rodger Dinwiddie, CEO of Students Taking A Right Stand (STARS) Nashville, voices a bit of skepticism and concern; he posited in a WATE interview that embedding harsh punishments might discourage school officials from reporting bullying because of the gravity a Class A misdemeanor carries. Dinwiddie also noted that an added educational and preventative angle to the amendment could be beneficial.
The legislation has sparked particular concern for the wellbeing of LGBTQ students; Rep. Gloria Johnson, a Democrat from Knoxville, worried about the potential risks of mandatory parental notification leading to unintended harmful disclosures, recounting to lawmakers a story of a friend forced out of their home after being outed, “If a child was being bullied for being LGBTQ, and this gets back to their parents,” Johnson said in a statement published by WATE. Yet, Rep. Russell argued the legislation could save lives, and House Majority Leader William Lamberth backed the initiative, stressing the importance of parents knowing about the struggles their children face.
