Safe Schools Legislation

Talking Points

Michigan has no law clearly banning bullying. Without clearly spelled out policies on this issue, gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, and questioning youth are left out and left behind. We need a statewide law demanding that every school district in Michigan pass a policy to curb bullying, including anti-GLBT bullying.

We need to specifically enumerate categories like race, religion, weight, and sexual orientation. Without doing so, school professionals may not have the necessary training and tools to notice bullying that is unique and targeted toward minorities. This kind of bullying is against the law, but districts need clear direction on how to address them.

Often dismissed as just teasing or fighting, many individuals are unaware of how pervasive the problem of bullying is in schools, even though research shows that eighty percent of adolescents report being bullied during their school years and ninety percent of fourth through eighth graders report being victims of bullying. If these facts were not alarming enough, statistics estimate that a child is bullied every seven minutes. Bullying often occurs at schools in areas where there is minimal or no supervision. Students are frustrated that teachers or other adults in the classroom ignore bullying incidents. Students uniformly express the desire that teachers intervene rather ignore teasing and bullying.

The current legislation would amend Michigan 's Revised School Code to require schools, to adopt a policy that prohibited harassment or bullying and submit a copy of it to the Department of Education within 30 days. The bill would be known as the "Matt's Safe School Law."

Presently, Michigan law mandates that students go to school for 180 days, but it doesn't mandate that they are safe. It is a violation of the Fourteenth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution to not provide a safe educational experience for minority youth. Current anti-bullying policies do not treat anti-minority bullying the same as "normal" bullying and they need to. Persistent and pervasive bullying against minorities is different and must be addressed.

Mandating that every school district pass a clear policy against this type of bullying is necessary. The policies must be mandated and they must enumerate categories like race, religion, weight, and sexual orientation. Without doing so they will not be as effective. If we are serious about protecting children, we must write into law what must be done. Michigan is a leader in education so we should be a leader in anti-bullying policies. Help us pass this policy today.