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Anti-Bully Laws
Move
Forward In Two States
by
365Gay.com from the Web, January 28, 2007
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Washington -- Bills that would
require school boards to establish anti-bullying programs have passed key
committees in Florida and Iowa.
In Florida the Senate Education Prekindergarten-12 Committee voted 6-1 to
approve the bill after hearing emotional testimony from a woman whose son
committed suicide after repeated taunting from other students and a father of a
boy who nearly died in a beating.
Debbie Johnston's 15-year-old son Jeffrey hanged himself in 2005 when he could
no longer bear the treatment he received at school.
Bobbie Bean told the committee that his son was rushed to hospital when another
student began beating on a school bus and then continued the attack inside the
school.
"For 22 minutes of my life I had to sit there and watch that clock tick by, and
I had to contemplate I was going to have to go home and tell my wife we didn't
have a son no more," Bean told senators.
The bill is similar to one introduced last year but was dropped following
pressure from some religious groups and school boards.
The new bill still must be approved by the Senate Criminal Justice Committee
before going to a full vote in that chamber. Similar legislation has been
introduced in the House but no action has been taken there.
In Iowa, an anti-bullying bill has passed the Senate Education Committee after
two years of lobbying by LGBT rights groups. It would protect students on
the basis of race, disability and sexuality.
A House version is nearing a vote on the floor.
Former Gov. Tom Vilsack first proposed the measure in 2004, but it met with
opposition over its inclusion of gay students. Current Gov. Chet Culver
has said he will sign the legislation if it reaches his desk.
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