In 2002 , New Jersey created an anti-bullying law that was one of the first of its kind . By the year 2003 , New Jersey , along with 14 other states , had passed anti-bullying laws . A majority of states created these laws in response to a number of high school shootings that occurred throughout the 1990s , the most widely known being the Columbine High School massacre . There was much speculation and research after these shootings as to what caused them to occur . Research has found bullying to be one cause of such tragedies and schools saw the need to enact anti-bullying policies . Research has found that when students attack their classmates , it is most often closely tied to the fact that they were mistreated and bullied by their peers . The New Jersey anti-bullying law of 2002 was one of the most comprehensive policies that not only defined bullying but also guided educators in handling incidents in their classrooms . In addition to New Jersey , Connecticut and Georgia also enacted stringent anti-bullying laws in the early 2000s . While most of these laws enacted in the beginning of the 21st century provided little direction for schools to deal with bullying , the New Jersey law mandated the reporting of incidents of harassment or bullying
Columbine High School massacre
Columbine High School massacre
New Jersey Anti-Bullying Bill of Rights Act