Young people are heading back to schools with new bullying policies. Georgia’s new anti-bullying law was implemented this week.

A statewide crackdown on school bullying passed in 2010, but districts have had until this year to come up with their own policies. The state requires them to make students and parents aware of the new rules and send children caught bullying to alternative schools after three offenses.

School administrators must track bullying separately from other kinds of misbehavior. Linda Horne is in charge of implementing the policy in Houston County.

“Many of the schools are having the students sign a bully free pledge. We also put up in all of our schools to inform parents and to inform our public members, any community members that come in that we consider our school system a bully free zone.”

The new law came about following the 2009 death of a Dekalb County 5th grader who committed suicide after being bullied.

Tags: georgia education, Georgia Anti-bullying law, Houston Coutny Schools, Linda Horne