Marblehead board OKs bullying policy changes

MARBLEHEAD – The Marblehead schools are taking a hard pro-active look at bullying – and School Committee members are wondering if it goes too far.Since December a task force headed by School Lead Nurse Paula Dobrow has been revising the school anti-bullying policy, at the request of Superintendent of Schools Paul Dulac.Introduced Thursday evening, the 12-page policy and procedure document submitted by the task force was approved on a first reading by the School Committee, 4-1, with Chairman Dick Nohelty the only opponent.Committee members voted for it with the understanding that at least some of the procedures will be removed from the policy before the second reading. Dobrow said the policy is based on current state House and Senate legislation.The policy changes include at least one section that more than one committee member raised questions about, however. It prohibits bullying on school grounds and at school activities – but they also prohibit bullying “at a location, activity, function or program that is not school-related.”Committee member Amy Drinker said parents play a role in what students do on weekends. Jonathan Lederman responded that “Kids are taunted outside the classroom” and parents do not always take action.Dulac said the intent of the new language was to address non-school actions “that spill over into the schools and we have to deal with it.”Nohelty had misgivings about the legal liability the changes could place on teachers. He also pointed out that the legislature is in the process of addressing the issue of bullying with a new state law and the policy needs to be in synch with state law.”We have to be very careful,” he said. “We should have legal advice on it.”