Christie backs bipartisan plan to add funding to state's anti-bullying law

TRENTON - A bipartisan agreement has been reached to fix the state's anti-bullying law - considered the toughest in the nation - following complaints by school districts that it was financially burdensome.

Gov. Christie announced support Tuesday for an amended bill backed by both parties that will be fast-tracked through the Legislature. It will add $1 million to the Bullying Prevention Fund to help districts meet the law's requirements, and will create a task force to assist with implementation of the measure.

"We know that students have the best opportunity to learn and achieve when they're in an environment that is safe and free from bullying and intimidation," Christie said at a news conference, where he was flanked by Republican and Democratic legislators and the state's most prominent gay activist.

The announcement comes during the trial of a former Rutgers University student who authorities say spied on his gay roommate via a webcam. Tyler Clementi, an 18-year-old freshman, committed suicide in 2010 after allegedly being observed in a live web stream during an intimate encounter with a man in his dorm room.

Dharun Ravi, his roommate, has been charged with bias intimidation and other offenses in the case, which brought national attention to issues, such as bullying, faced by gay teenagers.

The Anti-Bullying Bill of Rights, signed shortly after Clementi's death, requires schools to adopt anti-bullying policies, train teachers to deal with the issue, and designate staff members to investigate student complaints of intimidation - even when the alleged incident has occurred off school grounds.

Instances of bullying must also be reported to the state Department of Education.

Responding to complaints from school districts about the cost of the required staff and training, the state's Council on Local Mandates ruled in January that the law was an unfunded mandate. Christie had 60 days to offer a fix or the law would have been nullified.

Steven Goldstein, chairman of the gay-rights group Garden State Equality, who has sparred with Christie over gay marriage, had only praise for the Republican governor at Tuesday's State House news conference.

Most children who identify as gay report that they have been bullied, and those who are bullied are far more likely to commit suicide, Goldstein said.

"In the rough and tumble of politics, it's nice to see the governor and our Democratic leaders really put kids first," he said.