In this press release, the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education takes a look at New Jersey’s new “anti-bullying” Bil of Rights, and notes its possible threat to freedom of speech on college campuses. As FIRE President Greg Lukianoff comments, most of the attention the new law has garnered to date has focused on its K-12 impact. Its reach, however, will extend to higher education institutions as well, and if the law isn’t modified from its present form, you’re going to have to be careful what you say on campus.
As we noted recently, NAS holds no brief for genuine bullying, and we certainly won’t stand in the way if those engaged in it are dealt with appropriately.
But on the majority of college campuses, long under the heel of sensitivity training, sexual harassment enforcers and “tolerance” educators, we shudder to think what “ant-bullying”policies are in the works right now. If you read FIRE’s analysis, you’ll see that we’re right to worry.
