KSHB 41 reporter Claire Bradshaw covers portions of eastern Jackson County, including areas like Blue Springs and Independence. If you have a story idea to share, send an email to Claire at claire.bradshaw@kshb.com.
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To combat bullying, a Grain Valley alderman is taking the legal route.
Alderman Brian Bray, Ward 3, has drafted an anti-bullying ordinance he said would give parents an extra tool.
"Currently, the only legal outlet that a parent would have to pursue their child's bully would be a harassment charge. That comes with penalties that I don't think really fit,” Bray said.
Bray’s proposed ordinance is not official city business yet because he says it is still in review. However, he did provide a draft copy to KSHB 41 News.
The ordinance defines bullying as “any severe or pervasive physical or verbal act or conduct, including communications made in writing or electronically, that is directed toward a minor that can be reasonably predicted to cause fear of harm, emotional distress, or substantial disruption in the minor’s ability to participate in school or community activities.”
The ordinance goes on to list places it would cover where bullying could occur:
- On property owned, leased or used by schools or the city.
- At school-sponsored or city-sponsored activities, functions or programs.
- On school buses or city public transportation.
- Through the use of electronic devices owned, leased or used by schools or the city.
- Through any electronic act that substantially disrupts the operation of the school or the city.
- At any other location or through any other means, including but not limited to, online platforms, social media, public places, private property and any other context.
There are two ways it would be enforced.
The first would be on the minor’s parent or legal guardian. Parents will first get a written warning. If the minor makes another offense within 90 days of the warning, then there will be further action. The ordinance reads that parents then would have to meet with the city to create a plan to prevent further bullying.
If that plan is not followed, there will be fines for each offense. The first offense would be at least $50, and more than two offenses could be up to $500.
The court could also require parents to go to educational programming or counseling to prevent bullying behaviors.
The second enforcement would be for violating minors. The ordinance would require participation in community service, counseling or education programs assigned by the court.
Bray wrote an exemption into the ordinance.
Minors who are already under the care of a licensed mental health professional for behavioral issues or bullying would not be required to do court-ordered programs. Instead, their doctor would create a plan and provide that to the city.
Mykael Winfrey wrote a public letter of support for the ordinance in the Grain Valley News.
Winfrey said she experienced bullying when she was in school and is now seeing her teenager deal with it, so she wants extra resources.
"Everyone has access to talk to everybody immediately. So that was one of the stimulants of me kind of pushing for this, and our family has dealt with it quite a bit,” Winfrey said. “It’s going to take all of us, like really, all of us as a community and as a whole. I want to see not only my daughter do better but all of the students, including the little ones going up. Because the way the society is nowadays, there's so much hatred, and we have to put a stop to it.”
The ordinance has not yet gone through the official process to be considered by the Board of Alderman; therefore, it has not been discussed at an open meeting.
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