Town and Country Rep.'s Bullying Bill Moves Through State Legislature

The winter weather that had St. Louis in prep mode for much of the week also had an impact on state lawmakers in Jefferson City, forcing the General Assembly and the State Senate into an early recess, with no session held Thursday.

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 Among the bills currently in legislative transit is House Bill 134, sponsored by Rep. Sue Allen (R-Town and Country), which would change laws regarding bullying in schools and establish specific components that a district must include in its anti-bullying policy, according to information on Missouri House of Representatives website.

Ruth Ahlemeier, a Ladue School District parent from Olivette, testified in favor of the bill in a House hearing earlier this month. Ahlemeier has been in the spotlight for going public about concerns with bullying at Ladue in the form of a crude list which has circulated annually among students and mocks perceived sexual and personal habits for ridicule.

She told Patch after testifying that the law is necessary because she believes even when districts do have anti-bullying policies, such as Ladue, they aren’t rigorously enforced. The idea is to help prevent bullies from creating the equivalent of a “hostile work environment” for students while letting them know they have recourse against it, she said.

The bill passed through the House Committee on Elementary and Secondary Education, and an aide confirmed Thursday it was reported out of that committee and sent to the Rules Committee.

A date has not been scheduled for the bill to be heard in the Rules Committee. This is the third time the bill has been proposed.

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