The State Board of Education vowed to get tough on bullies with a new policy that addresses hazing of a sexual nature and other demeaning behavior.

The board approved a new rule Friday that clearly defines bullying and hazing so students know exactly what is unacceptable. It also aims to be proactive through educator training, as well as requiring a reporting and intervention process.

School districts have until Dec. 1 to implement a bullying and hazing policy and post a copy of it on their Web sites.

The rule comes as a reaction to increased bullying and hazing across the state the past year, especially among athletes.

"This is something that needs to be addressed," said Deputy State Superintendent Martell Menlove, who sits on the board's Law and Policy Committee. He added that there have also been reports of incidents with cheerleading and drill teams.

Specifics about sexualized hazing were added to the policy at the suggestion of Rep. Carol Spackman Moss, D-Salt Lake City, who sponsored a bill in 2008 requiring state education leaders to beef up bullying policies. Moss said a hazing incident among drill team members prompted the law. "Girls can be mean," she said.

According to media reports, in 2007, younger members of Bingham High School's drill team were pressured by older members to take off their clothes and pose in a sexually provocative manner. In 2006, new members of the Weber High School drill team streaked across a darkened football field under pressure from older members, also according to media reports.

Specifically, the rule forbids "any forced or coerced act or activity of a sexual nature or with sexual connotations such as asking a student to remove articles of clothing or expose or touch private areas of the body."

The board also replaced the phrase "active team members" with the word "students," saying it wants the rule to encompass all student groups.

"I know it's not going on in the science club, but it could," said board member Leslie Castle. "There needs to be no bias."

The previous state rule simply included discipline standards in an anti-bullying and hazing section. It now spells out brutality of a physical nature such as whipping, beating, branding, calisthenics, bruising, electric shocking, placing of a harmful substance on the body, or exposure to the elements. It also addresses consumption of food, liquor or drugs.

Fred Duersch, president of Logan School Board, said he was bullied as a child and would never want any student to feel scared and unhappy at school. He said he was picked on and made fun of for being overweight.

"I've experience it firsthand," he said. "I want the learning environment to be free of harassment."

The new state policy also includes cyberbullying, such as using the Internet or cell phones to harass or intimidate. It addresses social aggression, including rumor spreading, name calling, social isolation and intimidation.

Mary C. Lamb, a veteran sixth-grade teacher at Hillsdale Elementary School in West Valley City, said cyberbulling is a fresh issue for her. "That's a new one for some of us older teachers, and it wouldn't hurt to learn about it," she said. "Teachers need all the tools we can get to deal with bullying."

Lamb added that if bullying is present and kids are living in a fear, it's impossible for them to learn. "School needs to be a safe, happy climate," she said.

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