The cover story of People magazine blared "Tormented to Death!" Concern was everywhere, the problem of kids being bullied to right into their graves.
But just months later, the political will to address the problem, substantially, via legislation, is evident nowhere in DC. Bills that would address the problem aren't on anyone's radar. Why not?
The political machine is allowing a tragically wrought teaching moment to pass. A national sense of urgency is dwindling. Senator Al Franken--working hard to bring remedies to fruition--has a message to everyone:
"It's not going to be an easy lift. You need to make us do this. Make us do it. We need everyone's help to get the message out, that this is a bill we've gotta pass, pass next year."
Sources tell me, yes, it's possible to get the bills through the House of Boehner. So much more can be done than posting sympathetic videos of support online. Inside, some background on the current bills, existing advocates and resources for moving this issue forward.
Some simple facts on the national scope of the problem:
- 76 million students will attend public school according to the U.S. Department of Education
- 160,000 students a day miss school due to bullying and harassment according to
U.S. Department of Education
- 84.6% of LBGT or non gender conforming students endure harassment at school according to GLSEN
- 61% Report feeling unsafe according to Southern Poverty Law Center
- 38% of special needs students are bullied and harassed according to the Kaiser Foundation
- 42% of students that have access to the internet have been bullied online according to Harvard Law
- Every 7 minutes a child is bullied on school grounds according to Stop Bullying
- LGBTQ youth are 4 times more likely to think about or attempt suicide due to bullying and harassment according to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention
So what are we we doing about it? A Google News search of "Safe Schools Improvement Act" turns up almost nothing. Just a few hits from a few relatively obscure blogs. The impression is few people are talking about this.
This is merely confirms conversations I've had with insiders that these bills are not being prioritize on the national agenda. From legislators to Department of Education insiders to National Advocacy organizations, no one appears to be out front on this. No one appears to working to leverage the national attention this issue received just mere months ago.
Two bills existed as of the 111th Congress, The Student Non-Discrimination Act, (SNDA) and the Safe Schools Improvement Act, (SSIA). There were versions in both the House and the Senate. They are both expected to be re-introduced into the 112th Congress.
SNDA was introduced in the wake of the Constance McMillen "Lesbian barred from Prom" debacle. From the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network:
"GLSEN commends Representative Jared Polis and the 60 bipartisan cosponsors for sending a clear message to schools across the country that LGBT students and those perceived to be LGBT have the same rights and should be treated with the same dignity and respect as every other child," GLSEN Executive Director Eliza Byard. "Discrimination against students based on their actual or perceived sexual orientation is a pervasive problem and negatively affects the performance of many students."
A fine advocate is Senator Al Franken. At press conference in November for the introduction of his bill the Student Non-Discrimination Act, he was joined by Minnesotan Tammy Aaberg whose 15--year old son committed suicide after prolonged episodes of bullying. From the Uptake.org:
At a press conference on November 18 U.S. Senator Al Franken (D-MN) introduced the Student Non-Discrimination Act (SNDA), which protects students from harassment, bullying, and violence based on actual or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity. The SNDA has 29 Senate cosponsors. Its companion bill authored by Rep. Jared Polis (D-Colo) also enjoys broad support.
"It's not going to be an easy lift. You need to make us do this. Make us do it. We need everyone's help to get the message out, that this is a bill we've gotta pass, pass next year."
The second piece of legislation was introduced by U.S Senator Bob Casey (D-PA). The Safe Schools Improvement Act (SISA) is a federal anti-bullying bill that protects students based on race, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, and gender identity or expression. Casey was joined by 16-year-old Joey Kemmerling of Pennsylvania. He too talked about prolonged bullying and anti-gay violence, including a student who threatened him with a knife. Joey asked school officials to respond, but they didn’t.
Representative Linda Sanchez in the lead sponsor in House of 2010's HR2263, the Safe Schools Improvement Act. Here she is speaking to the dramatic consequences of bullying, and the danger of writing it off as just a "kids will be kids" issue.
Where is the Administration?
In April, Keene News Service reviewed the administration's 41-page "Blueprint for Reform" of the nation’s educational system and found it wanting:
The Obama administration’s proposal to reform the nation’s educational system includes no specific call for anti-bullying programs in schools, and no mention of protections for students from harassment or discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity. This is despite the fact that an openly gay man with considerable experience in combating such bullying heads the Department of Education (DOE) Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools. And it comes despite having a push by the authors of two bills that would give schools strong incentives to enact LGBT-inclusive anti-bullying measures for similar language in any educational reform bill.
That man would be Kevin Jennings. Advocates cheered when he was appointed as assistant deputy secretary for safe and drug-free schools in the U.S. Department of Education aka as the "Safe Schools Czar." And the administration is to be commended for standing by his appointment in the face of vicious right-wing attacks. But have the attacks made them timid? Thus far, his tenure has been a disappointment. Speaking to journalists in August at a GLSEN event, Jennings worried advocates about the level of commitment the administration has to seeing these measures through:
"Do I feel constrained? Absolutely. Everybody who takes one of the jobs should feel constrained because we're not here to push our personal agenda; we're here to advance the president's agenda."
Asked to clarify what actions or steps the administration is making to move SNDA or SSIA forward:
"We can't endorse legislation on our own. The Education Department doesn't make the policy, the White House does. The [Domestic Policy Council] sets the policy; we implement it. That's how it works. So, if you want movement on this issue, you call the White House."
Metro Weekly goes on to report:
Multiple White House officials, while expressing general support for safe schools, have repeatedly deferred specific endorsement of either piece of legislation in response to inquiries from Metro Weekly in the past.
Many safe school advocates hoped and openly lobbied for the President to mention the problem of bullying in the State of the Union. They were ultimately disappointed.
Eliza Byard, executive director of the GLSEN told the Washington Blade afterward:
"It was disappointing to hear nothing about the need for schools to foster a culture of respect amid all the talk of high standards and in the wake of seismic waves of tragedy for our community last fall," Byard said. "Students can’t achieve, innovate and graduate if they’re scared to go to school, and we all lose if they grow up in a culture where difference is despised."
This is were I insert myself into the conversation. Last week, Press Secretary Robert Gibbs announced that White House Communication Direct Dan Pfeiffer would be on Twitter taking questions live, so I sent him this message:
@pfeiffer44 will the President soon endorse anti-bullying bills, Safe Schools Improvement Act #SSIA & #SNDA? #Itgetsbetter #LGBT #bullying
And I was delighted to receive this reply:
@Clarknt67 POTUS is very concerned about bullying and is hosting a conference on the subject. Will send more details when we have them.
This is very promising sign. A high-profile Presidential summit on the topic would surely be a God send. This is a good use his bully-pulpit to help create warmer environment and reengage the public's attention to the issue of school bullying in general.
Ideally, we'll see the President make a specific endorsement of the SSIA and SNDA bills and issue a call to action that they be his desk by the end of the school year.
So, Who Objects To Protecting Kids?
What's the hold-up? Who wants to stop these bills? What's the "heavy lift" Senator Franken references? It is likely overcoming far right-wing objections to the inclusion of LGBT-affirmative language.
To be clear, the measures are designed to create safe spaces where all kids are treated with respect, regardless of sexual orientation, gender identity or race, ethnicity or any of the arbitrary attributes humans used to divide ourselves into "us and them."
But we can't cut the gay out of this issue, as some states would love to do, and address it in any substantive manner:
Nearly 9 out of 10 LGBT students (86.2%) experience harassment at school because of their sexual orientation, and 60.8% feel unsafe at school because of their sexual orientation, according to GLSEN’s 2007 National School Climate Survey.
The National Gay & Lesbian Task Force adds:
In a 2007 study, nearly 45 percent of LGBT students surveyed reported experiencing physical harassment and over 20 percent reported being physically assaulted at schools in the last year. Studies have also shown that LGBT youth attempt suicide at rates that are three to six times that of their heterosexual peers.
But the far right is having their usual meltdown over the gay. They object to anything that may present LGBT people in a favorable light. Peter Sprigg, of the Family Research Council offers a typical example of the far right's scare-mongering in FRC's pamphlet Homosexuality in Your Child's School:
Indoctrinating impressionable school children into accepting homosexuality as normal and natural is easier than changing the attitudes of adults through persuasion. Parents, citizens, school board members and other lawmakers should be on guard against any of the following, escalating policy initiatives that help advance this social engineering.
A reminder, Family Research Council was just named as an anti-gay hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center. Sprigg himself that earned his organization that honor, for advocating that gay people should be jailed and other ridiculous, inflammatory rhetoric.
Are these the people we want to have a voice in setting the agenda of our educational policies?
Still Viable In 2011
I have been assured that this is a piece of legislation can indeed move to a vote the GOP-controlled 2011 House of Representatives. Even GOP candidates expressed their support in the 2010 election cycle (and tallies have been made, tabs have been kept). And though the issue is sluggish on the Federal level, such measures are moving very swiftly through the states with bipartisan support. In the last year we've seen anti-bullying laws enacted in New York, New Jersey, and Virginia, California and others are moving briskly. Clearly, the political will exists on the ground of the states.
State level remedies are great, for those states. Unfortunately in the states where Family Research Council's bigotry resonates most loudly, the will to enact these measures may not be sufficient. Hence, the need to enact them nationally, so all kids are protected.
What we can do
Nothing lights a fire under the establishment's ass like a concerted grassroots call to action. So, the standard, "To the phones!" call to action applies. Call your Senators and Representatives, let them know you know about these bills, and you expect them to sponsor, work for and vote to support them in 2011. Capital Switchboard: (202) 224-3121
Stay informed
National calls to actions will soon be going out in support of initiatives. The goal is to get the bills to a vote before the school year closes. Please commit your own personal network to help amplify these message, post them to your Facebook page, Tweet them, blog them, here or other blogs you cross post to. There is a blogswarm effort scheduled for Feb 4, more information can be found here.
For education professionals and involved parents and students, the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN) is a great resource. They are sponsoring an Safe Schools Advocacy Summit, March 27-29, in DC. Teachers can join their Educators Network here. Local chapters are listed there for youth interested in getting involved.
Human Rights Campaign is involved with the Welcoming Schools program. Welcoming Schools is an LGBT-inclusive approach to addressing family diversity, gender stereotyping and bullying and name-calling in K-5 learning environments. Welcoming Schools provides administrators, educators and parents/guardians with the resources necessary to create learning environments in which all learners are welcomed and respected. The primer version of the Guide, An Introduction to Welcoming Schools, is a 93 page resource available for download in its entirety.
Another leading nationwide grassroots organization is Safe Schools Action Network. They are committed to empowering all students, educators and communities in building inclusive safe schools and provide safe schools advocacy, support and resources across the country. They also provide empowerment anti-bullying, diversity and advocacy kits free to educators. You can find Safe Schools Action Network on Facebook here, so you can keep abreast of news and actions.
SSAN is sponsoring a blogswarm this Friday, more information here.
Senator Franken again:
"It's not going to be an easy lift. You need to make us do this. Make us do it. We need everyone's help to get the message out, that this is a bill we've gotta pass, pass next year."
Yes, we do. And, yes we can! The consequences of doing nothing are literally life and death.
★ Special Guest Today: Please Welcome Shannon Cuttle, the Executive Director of Safe Schools Action Network to Daily Kos. She'll posting under the handle ShannonC. Shannon is an educator, school administrator, safe schools advocate and trainer, community organizer, and policy wonk.
Safe Schools Action Network as been the major driving force behind a wide variety of grassroots actions to draw attention to the problem of bullying in the schools and directing the conversation to proactive steps students, parents, educators and legislators can take. She's well-versed in the issue and can answer your questions on policy as well as your local state initiatives to remedy this problem.
Please give a warm welcome.
The Safe Schools Day of Action helped grassroots organize this Boston Candlelight Vigil honoring youth who have been bullied and LGBT suicide victims(and it was pouring down cold rain)!