STAND. COM. REP. NO. 184

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    S.B. No. 934

       S.D. 1

Honorable Shan S. Tsutsui

President of the Senate

Twenty-Sixth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2011

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Education, to which was referred S.B. No. 934 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO BULLYING AND CYBERBULLYING,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose and intent of this measure is to:

     (1)  Require the Department of Education to establish and implement a bullying and cyberbullying policy in all public schools;

     (2)  Establish bullying and cyberbullying reporting requirements for all public and private schools;

     (3)  Establish a misdemeanor offense of bullying or cyberbullying; and

     (4)  Define the terms "bullying" and "cyberbullying".

     Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of the Prosecuting Attorney, City and County of Honolulu; the Hawaii State Teachers Association; Equality Hawai‘i; the Hawai‘i Women's Coalition; the Human Rights Campaign, and eight individuals.  Your Committee received testimony in opposition to this measure from the Department of Education.

     Your Committee finds that bullying and cyberbullying among students has a detrimental effect on students' academic achievement, as well as their psychological, social, and physical well-being.  This measure seeks to provide students with greater protection against bullying and cyberbullying, both in and out of the school setting.

     Your Committee has amended this measure by adding language to require the Department of Education and the Charter School Review Panel to each submit an annual report to the Legislature to include the status of the implementation of the policy established pursuant to this measure, statistics on bullying and cyberbullying, and the policy's impact on bullying and cyberbullying in schools.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Education that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 934, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 934, S.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Judiciary and Labor.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Education,

____________________________

JILL TOKUDA, Chair