BOSTON (AP) – Lawmakers moved a step closer Wednesday to approving a bill designed to crack down on school bullies in the wake of two recent suicides of students whose families and friends said were the victims of intense bullying.

The bill prohibits bullying on school property, on school buses or at school-sponsored activities. It outlaws so-called cyberbullying by e-mail or through social media networks such as Twitter or Facebook.

The bill also requires school staff to report episodes of bullying to the principal, who must investigate each incident and take disciplinary action. Under the legislation, schools must add bullying prevention programs to their curriculum.

“Some schools in the state are not doing enough to keep children safe,” said Rep. Marty Walz, a Boston Democrat and House chairwoman of the Education Committee. “This legislation will require schools to take this issue seriously.”

The bill responds to the new nature of school bullying fueled by the 24-hour, instantaneous nature of the Internet that allows bullies to torment their victims even in their homes and bedrooms.

“Cyber-bullying is, unfortunately, a part of our culture, even if it doesn’t happen within the four walls of a school building,” said Rep. John Scibak, D-South Hadley.

The final version of the bill is expected to be approved Thursday by the House and Senate.

The push for the legislation gained momentum after the suicides of students in South Hadley and Springfield.

In January, 15-year-old Phoebe Prince killed herself after being bullied by a group of South Hadley classmates who used text messages and Facebook posts to add to their in-person intimidation, authorities said.

Last year, 11-year-old Carl Walker-Hoover hanged himself in his family’s Springfield home. His mother, Sirdeaner Walker, said her son was bullied relentlessly by classmates at his charter school. She said they made fun of how he dressed, called him gay and threatened him.

To help school staff better learn how to identify bullying, the bill requires schools to provide bullying training for staff.

The state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education would also be required to identify low-cost training options for teachers and develop bullying prevention and intervention plans for schools.

“We know schools want to stop bullying, but staff face difficulties in identifying bullying when it happens, particularly when it happens via the Internet,” said Rep. Betty Poirier, R-North Attleboro.

The bill would require principals to notify parents of the victim and the bully after a reported incident and mandate that schools meet with parents before developing anti-bullying plans.

The bill also includes stepped-up protections for children with autism and other special needs by helping the kids better handle and respond to incidents of bullying.

Republican lawmakers had pushed to toughen the bill by making it mandatory for principals to forward all reports of bullying to police and prosecutors and to include language that would have fined teachers and other school workers for not reporting bullies.

Those amendments were defeated during debate.

Democratic Gov. Deval Patrick has made the passage of anti-bullying legislation a top priority but will need time to review the language of the final bill before deciding whether to sign it, his spokeswoman said.