The New York State Senate, under the leadership of Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos, and the State Assembly, under the leadership of Speaker Sheldon Silver, and with the tireless advocacy of Senator Steve Saland and Assemblymember Danny O'Donnell, passed legislation that will help protect children from bullying and harassment online. We all know that the internet provides a wealth of information and opportunities to draw our world closer together - but it can also be a very dangerous place particularly for children who don't fit in, as is the case with many LGBT youth.



This cyberbullying legislation, coupled with the July 1, 2012 implementation of the Dignity for All Students Act, are important to creating safe, welcoming learning environments for all students. This bill's passage by both houses of the legislature today is another critical step in making sure that students are protected from harm by mandating that all incidents be immediately reported to the school principal for investigation and all students required to learn about safe and responsible use of the internet as part of the school's character education which was created by the Dignity for All Student's Act.