Since 1999, at least 17 states have passed laws to address harassment, intimidation and bullying in schools. The primary intent of almost all these legislative efforts is to define bullying, to establish school or district-level policy that firmly prohibits such behavior, and to communicate that policy to students and their parents (Finessa Ferrell-Smith, Tackling the Schoolyard Bully: Combining Policy Making with Prevention). This section contains legislation passed in Ohio and portions of the Ohio Revised Codes (state law) that have a direct correlation to bullying. This section also provides information on legal issues specific to cyberbullying and a national review of state anti-bullying statutes.
