The New Hampshire House passed a bill to amend a current law on school bullying which has received an A++ rating by the watchdog group bullypolice.org. Sponsored by Litchfield's Republican Representatives Ralph Boehm and Laura Gandia it is now in the hands of the NH Senate Education Committee for review.
Many feel it is a step backwards in protecting students and voiced their opinions at a recent meeting in Concord. The only voices heard in favor of the new bill, HB 370, were it's two sponsors Boehm and Gandia.
Bullying is an abuse of power and is not a rare phenomenon in our state politics. Recent examples have included DJ Bettencourt's antics and William O'Brien's remarks concerning student voters. O'Brien knows the ins and outs of the process and rather than negotiate with someone, who had a different view, he fired Exeter Rep. Lee Quant from the Finance Committee. Quant blogs about the event on his Exeter News Service site. O'Brien may not be the most enlightened or objective person to hold sway over these and other matters.
"Students need to be prepared for life; unfortunately, bullying is a part of it," Boehm said in defense of his proposal gutting the current law in an article by Kathy McCormack.
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