After relentless persecution by her fellow students apparently led to the suspected suicide of South Hadley High School freshman Phoebe Prince in January, a new bill, sponsored by State Rep. Marty Walz, chair of the Joint Committee on Education, is taking unprecedented steps to combat bullying and cyber-bullying at schools throughout the state.
“The bullying and cyber-bulling in some of our schools is heart breaking,” Walz said. “The legislation I drafted is more comprehensive than any law in the country and should result in safer schools and more respectful learning environments.”
Bullying as defined by the legislation is: “the severe or repeated use of a written, verbal, or electronic communication, or a physical act or gesture, or any combination thereof, by one or more students directed at another student that has the effect of: causing physical or emotional harm to the other student or damage to his or her property; placing the other student in reasonable fear of harm to him or herself or of damage to his or her property; creating a hostile environment at school for the bullied student; infringing on the rights of the other student at school; or materially and substantially disrupting the education process or the orderly operation of a school.” Prevention of cyber-bullying, or bullying using e-mail, text messages and other technology and electronic means, is also included in the legislation.
Unlike other anti-bullying legislation enacted throughout the country, Walz’s bill isn’t limited to district schools. It also covers private and parochial schools and charter schools. The bill also addresses bullying at non-school-related locations and online, such as on Facebook, if the bullying is determined to affect the school environment.
Another distinction is that Walz’s bill heavily focuses on prevention by mandating anti-bullying curriculum for every grade, which is unprecedented nationally. Every school statewide is also required to develop a bullying prevention and intervention plan.
Walz’s bill also focuses on prevention by mandating that appropriate instruction for children in each age group on bullying prevention be incorporated into a school’s curriculum. Every school statewide is also required to develop a bullying prevention and intervention plan.
In an effort to stop bullying when it occurs, the new legislation requires all school staff members to promptly report bulling and for a school principal or designee to investigate the matter and take appropriate disciplinary action.
The bill received a favorable review from the Joint Committee on Education last week and is expected to go before the Senate next week and then on to the House of Representatives for its approval in the coming weeks.

The Back Bay is not a neighborhood one usually associates with heavy metal music, but Commonwealth Avenue resident and hard-rock guitarist Dave Reffett hopes to change that perception with the recent release of his band Shredding the Envelope’s debut CD “The Call of the Flames.”
“Some of the tunes are a reminder to people not let life pass you by, and if there is something you really love fight for it, and it can be a reality,” Reffett said. “There is one song that says, ‘We believe in belief, we’re not afraid to fail,’ and for me I'm so proud that I took a big risk and wasn’t afraid to stick my neck out. I think we really hit a grand slam with this record."
A 26-year-old native of Blue River, Kentucky, Reffett learned to play guitar at age 13 and earned a scholarship to the Berklee School of Music around 2003. After graduating at the top of his class, he worked for Sanctuary and Virgin Records/EMI in New York before returning to Boston in 2007 and beginning work on the thrash metal CD.
“After working for record companies and hearing so much homogenized, dumbed-down music, I made the record I wanted to hear,” Reffett said, citing Ozzy Osbourne and Anthrax among his influences. “It’s a very heavy record, and the musicianship is of the highest caliber.”
On “The Call to Flames,” Reffett contributed lead vocals and plays guitar. His fiancée and co-creator of Shredding the Envelope, Nancy Taylor, shared songwriting duties with Reffett and designed the cover and insert artwork for the CD.
In the studio, Reffett enlisted the help of many notable musicians, including former Dokken member guitarist George Lynch; Chris Poland, a one-time guitarist for Megadeath; and drummer Mike Mangini, a former Stave Vai collaborator who now teaches at Berklee.
Famed sound engineer George Marino, who worked on many metal classics including AC/DC’s "Back in Black,” Kiss, "Alive" and Guns N’ Roses’ "Appetite for Destruction," mastered the CD, which was recorded at Sanctum Sound on South Street between September of 2008 and July of last year.
Following its Nov. 30 release, “The Call to Flames” has earned praise from Iron Maiden vocalist Bruce Dickinson, who called it "a must have" on his BBC radio show. Reffett has also received e-mails from fans as far away as Poland, the Czech Republic and Germany, and the CD has already received airplay in Israel. In the U.S., Reffett has been the subject of numerous radio interviews and recently appeared on the “Talking Metal” podcast.
Now, Reffett hopes to bring his music to a wider audience by assembling a band to tour behind the CD.
“I just need to find the right guys because it’s really intense music,” he said.
Shredding the Envelope’s “The Call of the Flames” is available at Newbury Comics, iTunes, guitar9.com/guitarmusic9/thecalloftheflames.html , Amazon MP3, Napster, Rhapsody, cdbaby.com/cd/ShreddingTheEnvelope and other digital retailers. The CD is also coming to Best Buy soon.

The Mayor’s Office of Consumer Affairs and Licensing (MOCAL) held a public hearing last week regarding the French Library Alliance Française of Boston’s proposal to resume its outdoor Bastille Day celebration in the Back Bay this summer.
The French Library has requested a one-time entertainment license for instrumental music, vocal music and amplified sound for an event on Marlborough Street between Berkeley and Clarendon streets on Friday, July 16, between 6 and 11 p.m. (Live music would stop by 10 p.m.).
In response to concerns raised by the city and the Neighborhood Association of the Back Bay (NABB) following the last Bastille Day celebration on Marlborough Street in the summer of 2007, the library has agreed to reduce the capacity for the ticketed-event to 2,000 from 3,200 and, in an effort to deter loitering, to install a fence along Marlborough Street and develop a security plan with the Boston Police Department. Other issues that the library pledged to address include noise levels and prompt trash removal following the event.
In a letter to MOCAL Director Patricia Malone, State Rep. Marty Walz wrote, “I support the French Library’s annual celebration of Bastille Day returning to Marlborough Street provided that the license includes the same conditions that were included in MOCAL’s June 27, 2007, decision and four additional conditions presented by [NABB] at the Sept. 27, 2007, meeting and in its Feb. 10, 2010, letter to you. It is my understanding that the French Library has agreed to these conditions. I also support NABB’s request that MOCAL schedule a follow-up hearing the fall of 2010 to evaluate the event.”
Other elected officials who voiced their support the event included all four at-large city councilors – Felix Arroyo, John Connolly, Stephen Murphy and Ayanna Pressley – and City Council President Mike Ross.
“I am thrilled to see that the Bastille Day celebration will return to the Back Bay,” Ross told the Sun. “I also applaud the French Library for addressing the concerns of abutters, so visitors and neighbors alike can enjoy the event.”
At the hearing, Jim Hill, chair of the NABB Licensing Committee, also voted on behalf of the organization not to oppose the event. “From a neighborhood point-of-view, we’re very pleased with how the library is engaging neighbors this time around,” Hill told the Sun.
Several neighbors also spoke in favor of the event at the hearing, although one direct abutter opposed it.
Meanwhile, Malone said the city would likely hand down its decision on issuing the entertainment license in early March.

Larceny in a Building, $200 & Over
02/15/10 – A victim reported that her iPod was stolen from a table at 11 Newbury St. between 11:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m.

Harassing Phone Calls
02/18/10 – Between 1:15 and 1:30 p.m., a victim reported that she and her office co-workers at 252 Newbury St. were receiving harassing phone calls from an unknown male. The victim said the caller mentioned his body part and stated that he wanted to have sex with the female office workers. Furthermore, the victim provided officers with the caller’s phone number and said his distorted voice sounded as though he was talking through some kind of device.

Threats to Do Bodily Harm
02/18/10 – At about 5:20 p.m., an Area D-4 officer responded to Rugby by Ralph Lauren at 342 Newbury St. for a threats report.
Upon arrival, the officer spoke with store employees, who stated that two female threatened them after they were caught shoplifting. When the suspects were asked to leave the store, one allegedly shook her fist at a store employee in a threatening manner and said, “I’ll punch you out.”
The second suspect added, “I’ve got plenty of brothers, and we’ll be back when you close.”
After exiting the store, the suspects remained out front with a group of friends. A red 1999 Mercury Sable then picked up the suspects before driving away in the direction of Massachusetts Avenue.
D-4 detectives said they would further investigate the incident.

Breaking & Entering, Non-Residence, Night – Force
02/20/10 – At about 12:06 p.m., police responded to Emack & Bolio’s ice cream shop at 290 Newbury St. for a report of breaking and entering.
On arrival, officers met with an Emack & Bolio’s ice employee, who stated that unknown person(s) broke into the store between 9 p.m. on Feb. 19 and noon on Feb. 20. The employee also said the suspect(s) gained entry to the store by prying the front-door lock and removed $50 in U.S. currency from the cash register and approximately $300 from a cash box located in a back office.
The employee told officers that the store doesn’t have an alarm system but has security cameras that may have recorded the incident. Officers observed damages that were apparently caused by the suspect(s) and advised the employee to contact police if additional items were discovered missing.
A canvass of the immediate area for additional breaking-and-enterings was to no avail.

Investigate Person
02/20/10 – At about 9:02 p.m., Area D-4 officers responded to Au Bon Pain at 431 Boylston St. for a report of vandalism in progress.
On arrival, police were informed that possible suspects were still on the scene and spoke to the parties involved. A woman on the scene stated she tripped and fell against a glass pane, which broke in the process. EMS was called and responded, treating the woman for a laceration to her right wrist.
Officers informed the store manager that D-4 detectives would contact all parties involved to work out an agreement for compensation.