Minnesota Senate Passes Anti-Bullying Bill

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) - The Minnesota Senate has passed a bill aimed at helping prevent bullying in schools.

Reports say the Senate passed the bill Thursday in a 36-to-31 vote after nearly six hours of debate.

The bill would require school districts to track and investigate cases of bullying and require schools to better train staff and teachers on how to prevent it.

The measure now goes to the House, which passed a similar measure last year.

If passed again by the House and approved by Gov. Mark Dayton, it would replace a statute that requires school districts to have a bullying policy but lacks any details on what the policy should contain.

It was sponsored by state Sen. Scott Dibble, DFL-Minneapolis.