New cyber bullying law to take effect Jan. 1
<span>A new Illinois law taking effect Jan. 1 will expand school districts' authority to punish any sort of cyber bullying, as long as it affects the classroom, to outside school doors.</span>
<span>House Bill 4207 was signed into law by Gov. Pat Quinn on August 1 and expands upon existing anti-bullying legislation that banned cyber bullying in schools. It was sponsored by State Rep. Laura Fine (D-Glenview) and State Sen. Ira Silverstein (D-Chicago).</span>
<span>"Bullying has no place in the state of Illinois," Quinn said in an August news release. "Every student should feel safe from harassment, whether that's in the school hallways or when using the internet or a cell phone.</span>
<span>"In our technology-driven age, bullying can happen anywhere. This new law will help put an end to it."</span>
<span>The law applies to devices not owned or used by a school, and requires a school's anti-bullying policy to include an investigation for any act of bullying that "causes a disruption to a school's operations or educational process."</span>
<span>"Where the bar is being set is not really defined," said Chester District No. 139 Superintendent Chris Diddlebock. "They leave a lot of leeway in it.</span>
<span>"It's still a substantial disruption to the school environment and there's still a lot of 'ifs' surrounding (the law) and our ability to investigate (cyber bullying). What does our level of proof have to be?"</span>
<span>School officials don't have to monitor social media, but they do have to investigate if any complaints are brought forward.</span>
<span>"</span><span>Our policies already have something in place where if it links back to the school, we can investigate that," said Jennifer Hagel, principal at Steeleville High School and assistant superintendent of Steeleville District No. 138. "We've tried to be proactive in educating the kids about cyber bullying, sexual harassment and the effects of social media."</span>
<span>Diddlebock raised several concerns about the new law, specifically reasonable suspicion versus probable cause.</span>
<span>"When does a child's right to due process come in?" he asked. "No one, as of yet, has given us specific details as to how this will play out when it comes down."</span>
<span>Steeleville District Superintendent Stephanie Mulholland said enforcement of the new law will depend on incidents being reported.</span>
<span>"What I tell parents and students is 'I can't help you if I don't know,'" Mulholland said. "If it's causing a problem where somebody doesn't want to come to school or it is interrupting their education, I need to know those things."</span>
<span>House Bill 4207 wasn't the only cyber bullying bill to be recently passed, as the legislature approved Senate Bill 2694 on Dec. 6.</span>
<span>That bill, referred to by some as the "revenge porn" bill, bans the publication of sexually explicit pictures without the consent of the person depicted. In Illinois, it would be classified as a Class 4 felony, punishable by up to three years in jail and a $25,000 fine.</span>
<span>According to the Illinois Observer, revenge porn is described as an act of a former romantic partner posting or sharing sexual pictures or videos of the individual's ex-partner as a form of break-up revenge.</span>
<span>Since 2013, 13 states have passed similar legislation. Quinn is expected to sign the measure.</span>