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The Tennessee Conservative [By Adelia Kirchner] –
A new state law will require minors to lose their driving privileges or their ability to get a driver’s license for a year if they are adjudicated for bullying or cyberbullying.
HB1025/SB0170, sponsored by Rep. Lowell Russell (R- Vonore-District 21) and Sen. Adam Lowe (R- Calhoun-District 1), was signed into law by Gov. Bill Lee (R-TN) on April 24th and will take effect on July 1st of this year.
As passed by state lawmakers, the legislation “requires suspension of a minor’s driving privileges or ability to obtain a driver license for a period of one year as part of the disposition if a minor is adjudicated delinquent for an act that would constitute the offense of harassment by bullying or cyber-bullying.”
In the case that a minor adjudicated for bullying or cyberbullying has not committed that offense before, a restricted license can be granted for travel to and from school, work, and church services.
According to the bill text, “This restricted license must not be granted for travel to and from social events or extracurricular school activities” and an order allowing for a restricted license “must state with all practicable specificity the necessary time and places of permissible operation of a motor vehicle and must be made part of the judgment of the court.”
If a juvenile offender is permitted to have a restricted license, they would be able to obtain a certified copy of the order and within 10 days of the order’s issuance, take the order and an application fee of $20 to DPS for the department to issue their restricted license.
“I think this is a deterrent,” Rep. Russell said about the legislation. “A lot of kids nowadays want to get their license when they [turn] 16, and it’s an incentive not to bully other people.”
CEO of Students Taking A Right Stand (STARS), Rodger Dinwiddie, told News Channel 2 that he isn’t sure the law will do much to curb the problem of bullying since the highest rates of bullying occur with students who aren’t yet old enough to drive in the 4th, 5th, and 8th grades.
“The bottom line is if it is truly bullying, it is extremely harmful, whether it is in person or online, and to me, the legislators get credit for at least being concerned about that issue for sure,” said Dinwiddie.
Tennessee Code Annotated § 49-6-4502 defines cyberbullying as “bullying through the use of electronic devices.”
The terms harassment, intimidation and bullying are grouped together by the code and defined as “any act that substantially interferes with a student’s educational benefits, opportunities or performance” and does any of the following on school grounds or at any school sponsored activity:
- Physically harms a student or damages a student’s property
- Knowingly places a student or students in reasonable fear of physical harm to the student or damage to the student’s property
- Causes emotional distress to a student or students
- Creates a hostile educational environment
Harassment, intimidation and bullying that takes place off school grounds or outside of a school-sponsored activity is defined as something “directed specifically at a student or students and has the effect of creating a hostile educational environment or otherwise creating a substantial disruption to the education environment or learning process.”
Additionally, law enforcement is required by law to notify a victim’s parents and/or guardians of a bullying situation if the victim is a minor.
About the Author: Adelia Kirchner is a Tennessee resident and reporter for the Tennessee Conservative. Currently the host of Subtle Rampage Podcast, she has also worked for the South Dakota State Legislature and interned for Senator Bill Hagerty’s Office in Nashville, Tennessee. You can reach Adelia at adelia@tennesseeconservativenews.com.
