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Abstract: 

This article examines the relationship between risky behaviors, identified in study after study as among the leading causes of teen and preteen mortality, and state efforts to curb bullying. Teen aggression on school grounds and its negative effects on student health—both physical and emotional—is a primary concern for policymakers and for those who work with youth. The negative consequences affect entire classrooms and even schools, in disruptions to student learning, lowered student engagement, decreased school safety, and decreased cohesiveness in the school environment. State anti-bullying statutes have not yet had a measurable impact, in part because the problem is a complex one in which the interrelatedness of risky teen behavior and aggression demands interrelated policies that are difficult to achieve legislatively.

Keywords: Bullying laws; school policies; students intimidation; harassment; violence; school discipline; education law; teen suicide; whole school training; zero-tolerance

Affiliations:  1: John Jay College of Criminal Justice and Fordham Law School.