(Image source from: Does Arizona need more anti-bullying laws?)

At least some educators and politicians think so! According to them, Arizona has scanty laws to safeguard students from bullying. The alarming rise in teen suicides in recent years has compelled the state legislation to take up this matter seriously. However, the big question is are the existing laws enough or does Arizona need more anti-bullying laws to defense up its vulnerable victims from committing suicide.

October, being the National Bullying Prevention Month, local and national administrators are trying to bring in new policies at both the school-district level and at the state Legislature.

In the past, advocates have tried to introduce several bills to crack down school bullying, but failed to do so.

Advocators of anti-bullying law believe that many people fail to understand bullying is a major public-safety issue.

“You nip a smaller problem in the bud so that same student doesn’t get to 10th grade and get into an assault,” said Lawrence Robinson, a member of Phoenix’s Roosevelt Elementary School District board who helped write the district’s anti-bullying policy.

But Cathi Herrod, president of conservative advocacy group Center for Arizona Policy, feels that no amount of laws can stop bullying in schools.

“The question I have with any proposed legislation is: ‘Is the solution being proposed truly going to address the problem?" she said. “ Twice the Legislature has addressed the bullying issue. How aren’t the current laws addressing the issue?”

With so much heated debate on anti-bullying laws on, it will be interesting to see if Arizona gets more laws passed to curb bullying, in the future.

AW: Suchorita Dutta Choudhury